Not yet Uhuru for PDP as Anyanwu clings to Secretaryship seat
By Tunde Opalana
As the clock ticks towards the August 2025 national convention of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) ratified by the 99th meeting of the National Executive Council (NEC) on Tuesday, the troubled waters are unsettled as Senator Samuel Anyanwu insisted that he is the authentic National Secretary of the party.
As it stands, three persons lay claim to the secretaryship position which further drifts the major opposition party apart. They are Senator Anyanwu, Him. Sunday Ude- Okoye and Arc. Setonji Koshedo, the Deputy National Secretary who doubles as the acting national scribe.
Anyanwu claimed he remained the national scribe since he has not stepped down from the office nor been removed by any competent court of law.
This is as he accused some governors of the party, particularly, Seyi Makinde of Oyo State and Peter Mbah of Enugu State
of playing divisive script aimed at ousting him but contrary to the constitution and convention of the PDP.
He spoke to journalists in Abuja on Wednesday where he explained cloudy issues surrounding the top party position but declared that there has never been vacancy in the office of the National Secretary of the PDP.
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“I remain the substantive National Secretary whose tenure runs until December 2025,” he claimed.
Tracing the genesis of the insinuation against him, the former lawmaker absolved himself of contravening party’s constitution by contesting the Imo State governorship election in 2923 on the platform if the party.
He said “I wrote to the party and to INEC before proceeding on leave. That letter was acknowledged. My deputy only acted on my behalf. At no time did I resign my position”
Speaking on the zoning of the office , he said the PDP micro -zoned the position of National Secretary to the South East from the Southern part of the country.
Asserting that Imo State was designated to nomination candidate for the position, he wondered why a replacement is being pushed from Enugu State.
“If the zoning principle is to be respected, any replacement must come from Imo State, not Enugu. Governor Mbah is pushing for a replacement that violates the PDP’s own zoning formula,” Anyanwu explained.
The former governorship candidate held both Governors Makinde and Mbah culpable of the conspiracy bring in Hin. Ude- Okoye to challenge his position in connivance with Chief Ali Odefa,former South-East National Vice Chairman of the PDP.
He said “how can governors gang up to insert someone as Secretary? This is the height of impunity. Staff were sponsored, and processes were bypassed.”
He described Odefa as unqualified to take any decision for the party as had been expelled and no longer had any legal standing within the party.
“Odefa’s tenure expired in March. He was expelled from the party and the High Court confirmed it. He has no business attending or convening any PDP meeting,” he explained.
