PDP’s Secretary Saga: South-East Doubles Down on Udeh-Okoye Nomination
Regional Power Play Escalates as Party’s Internal Fractures Deepen
In what appears to be an escalating game of political chess, the South-East Zonal Executive Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has formally presented its re-nomination of Sunday Udeh-Okoye as national secretary to the party’s acting National Working Committee (NWC), effectively challenging the party’s central authority and threatening further fragmentation.
The move, delivered to party headquarters by Senate Minority Whip Osita Ngwu on Tuesday, comes with an unmistakable ultimatum that has sent tremors through Nigeria’s largest opposition party: approve our candidate or risk losing an entire geopolitical zone.
Strongarm Tactics or Legitimate Grievance?
Behind the diplomatic language of the South-East’s presentation lies a barely concealed threat. Regional leaders have already resolved to consider abandoning the PDP altogether if their demand is not met—a high-stakes gambit that reveals both the region’s desperation and its diminishing confidence in the party’s national leadership.
“We are asking you to look at a zone that has been the backdrop and backbone of the PDP,” Senator Ngwu declared, in what observers note was more reminiscent of a plaintiff’s closing argument than a party consultation. His reference to the South-East as a region “eager to redeem its past glory” carries the unmistakable subtext that such redemption might be sought elsewhere if necessary.
A Legal Labyrinth of the Party’s Own Making
The dispute over the national secretary position has become emblematic of the PDP’s broader dysfunction. What should have been a straightforward succession process has instead devolved into a convoluted legal battle spanning multiple courts and contradictory rulings.
The controversy began when Samuel Anyanwu, the substantive national secretary, contested the Imo governorship election in November 2023 without formally resigning his party position—a move that critics argue violated the party’s own constitution but which Anyanwu’s supporters defend as procedurally sound.
What followed was a bewildering series of legal maneuvers: an Enugu High Court order favoring Udeh-Okoye, a Federal High Court in Abuja ruling for Anyanwu, an Appeal Court validation for Udeh-Okoye, a stay of execution, and finally a Supreme Court intervention that essentially reset the entire matter by declaring that courts had no jurisdiction over internal party affairs to begin with.
Political Paradox: Celebrating Judicial Non-Interference
Perhaps most revealing is how both factions have spun the Supreme Court’s hands-off ruling to their advantage. While Anyanwu celebrated what he interpreted as his reinstatement, the South-East PDP leadership curiously “expressed happiness” about the court’s position that such matters fall strictly within the party’s internal affairs.
This seemingly contradictory response highlights the South-East’s strategic calculation: if courts cannot settle the matter, then the zonal power structures which they control should have greater influence in the decision-making process.
NWC’s Tepid Response Reveals Leadership Vacuum
Acting National Chairperson Umar Damagum’s response to the South-East’s presentation was notably noncommittal. Represented by Deputy National Chairperson Taofeek Arapaja, he offered little more than procedural assurances and platitudes about the party’s resilience.
“I understand why you are not happy, but even as you are angry out there, we can find a solution,” Arapaja stated, comparing disgruntled members to a landlord fleeing a leaking house a metaphor that inadvertently acknowledges the structural decay within the party.
The decision to defer the matter to the National Executive Committee meeting scheduled for May 27 suggests a leadership unwilling or unable to take decisive action on what has become a festering internal crisis.
Beyond Personalities: The Structural Crisis
While the dispute ostensibly centers on two individuals Anyanwu and Udeh-Okoye it reflects deeper fissures within the PDP. The party that once dominated Nigerian politics now appears incapable of managing its own internal governance, raising serious questions about its viability as an alternative to the ruling All Progressives Congress.
The South-East’s ultimatum comes at a particularly vulnerable moment for the PDP, already reeling from consecutive presidential election defeats and facing challenges from emerging coalition efforts spearheaded by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and other prominent opposition figures.
As the May 27 NEC meeting approaches, the party faces an unenviable dilemma: capitulate to regional demands and risk setting a precedent for factional strongarming, or stand firm and potentially lose its foothold in a critical geopolitical zone.
Either way, what began as a dispute over a single party position has evolved into a referendum on the PDP’s coherence, authority, and future as a national political force.
Reference
PDP’s Secretary Saga: South-East Doubles Down on Udeh-Okoye Nomination