The National Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Samuel Anyanwu, has fiercely resisted attempts by the PDP Governors’ Forum to replace him with a temporary appointee, declaring such a move unconstitutional and legally void.
Speaking to journalists on Wednesday, Anyanwu said he remains the duly elected National Secretary, backed by a four-year mandate secured at the party’s National Convention. He vowed to resume at the PDP National Secretariat in Abuja immediately after the Easter holidays, insisting that “there is no vacancy at Wadata Plaza.”
The crisis erupted following an emergency meeting of the PDP Governors’ Forum on Monday in Ibadan, where the forum resolved to install the party’s Deputy National Secretary, Setonji Koshoedo, in an acting capacity pending the nomination of a new Secretary from the South East.
Anyanwu, however, dismissed the decision, accusing a few “privileged party men” of attempting to override the party’s constitution and the judiciary. “This is not the first time people are attempting a shortcut that violates the PDP constitution and court orders,” he said.
Citing a March 2025 Supreme Court judgment, Anyanwu noted that all previous legal efforts to unseat him were nullified. He also referenced a Federal High Court order issued in January, which explicitly barred the PDP or any of its officials from appointing another person as National Secretary.
“The PDP Governors’ Forum is not a constitutionally recognized organ of the party,” he emphasized. “It cannot override a national convention or the decision of the Supreme Court.”
Sources within the party claim the friction is rooted in intra-party politics and alleged divisions over Anyanwu’s perceived closeness to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike. Some party youth and stakeholder groups believe that the push for Anyanwu’s removal is politically motivated and not in the interest of party unity.
The PDP Youth Group in the South-South has raised concerns about some governors allegedly aligning with President Bola Tinubu’s 2027 re-election agenda, accusing them of trying to destabilize the PDP from within. They warned that the appointment of a temporary secretary in place of Anyanwu could provoke resistance from the party’s youth wing.
Meanwhile, the PDP Frontliners, a pro-party pressure group, described the governors’ action as reckless and warned it could worsen the party’s internal crisis ahead of the 2027 general elections.
“Targeting Anyanwu seems more like a proxy war against FCT Minister Wike than a principled decision,” the group said. “Trying to force him out risks further destabilizing the party.”
Despite the political storm, Anyanwu has maintained his commitment to the PDP, stressing that his friendship with Wike should not be weaponized. His tenure, he insists, remains valid until December 2025.
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