In a decisive ruling, the Supreme Court has overturned previous verdicts by the Court of Appeal and the Federal High Court, which had earlier removed Senator Samuel Anyanwu from his role as the National Secretary of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).
The apex court, in a judgment delivered by a five-member panel on Friday, ruled that the selection of the PDP’s National Secretary is strictly an internal party matter and does not fall within the jurisdiction of the courts.
Justice Jamilu Tukur, who delivered the lead judgment, dismissed the October 2023 ruling of the Federal High Court and nullified the majority judgment of the Court of Appeal issued in December, which had supported Anyanwu’s removal. Instead, the Supreme Court upheld the minority ruling of the appellate court, delivered by Justice Ekanem, which argued that the lower court lacked jurisdiction over the matter.
Additionally, the Supreme Court determined that Aniagu Emmanuel, the plaintiff who initiated the lawsuit, lacked the legal standing to challenge the appointment. The ruling highlighted that Emmanuel failed to establish how the internal leadership structure of the PDP directly impacted him.
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With this final judgment, the prolonged legal dispute over the PDP National Secretary position has come to an end even though the judgement may have not favored the PDP Governors, affirming Anyanwu’s legitimacy and providing clarity on the autonomy of political parties in internal affairs.
