The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Board of Trustees (BoT) has recognised Ude Okoye as the party’s authentic National Secretary.
They urged the party’s national working committee to immediately swear him in as the substantive national secretary of the party.
The decision was taken during an emergency meeting at Transcorp Hilton Hotel Abuja on Wednesday over the party’s lingering crisis.
The meeting has in attendance the BoT Chairman, Senator Adolphus Wabara; Secretary of the BoT, Senator Ahmed Makarfi.
Others included former governors Achike Udenwa, Sam Egwu, Babangida Aliyu, and Senator Ben Obi among others.
At the gathering the BoT received report from the former Minister of Special Duties, Tamini Turaki, who was mandated to study the çourt’s documents submitted by both the PDP National Secretary, Samuel Nayanwu and Sunday Udeh-Okoye who has been contesting the legality of his office.
In his opening remarks, the BoT Chairman commended the PDP governors for asking that the National Working Committee of the party holds its National Executive Council (NEC) meeting in March.
The BoT Chairman also cited the violence that occurred last week, as the reason why they will not hold their meetings at the Wadata Plaza until security is restored in the secretariat.
Both Okoye and Senator Samuel Anyanwu are laying claim to the PDP Secretary’s office, a development that is now pitching members of the party against one another.
Below is the full communique issued by PDP after emergency BoT meeting:
“Communique issued at the end of the Emergency Meeting of the Board of Trustees (BoT) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Today, Wednesday February 5, 2025 at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel Abuja, Presented by the Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Senator Adolphus Wabara
The Board of Trustees of the PDP at its emergency meeting today, Wednesday February 5, 2025 thoroughly considered critical issues in the Party and resolved as follows:
- The Board of Trustees asserts its position as a prominent ORGAN of the PDP as enshrined under Section 13 (1)(r) of the Constitution of the PDP (as amended in 2017)
- The BoT also asserts its inherent authority under Section 32 (5)(a) of the Constitution of the PDP (as amended in 2017) which empowers it to “ensure highest standards of morality in all the activities of the Party by acting as the conscience of the Party, with powers to call to order any officer of the Party, whose conduct falls below the norms;”
- The BoT in exercise of its constitutional powers received, exhaustively considered and hereby adopt the report of its committee led by Barr. Kabiru Tanimu Turaki SAN on the issue of the National Secretary of the PDP especially with regard to the declarative judgment of the High Court of Enugu as upheld by the Court of Appeal.
- Consequently, the BoT by adopting the report recognizes Hon. Sunday Udeh-Okoye as the substantive National Secretary of the PDP in full obedience to the declaratory Judgment of the High Court of Enugu as also upheld by the Court of Appeal there being no contrary or overriding judgment from any Court of superior jurisdiction.
- The BoT charges the National Working Committee (NWC) to recognize and immediately swear in Hon. Sunday Udeh-Okoye as the National Secretary of the PDP in obedience to the Judgment of the Court of Appeal.
- The BoT urges all party organs, critical stakeholders, leaders and members across the country as well as all democracy development partners and institutions to be guided by the judgment of the Court of Appeal with regard to the position of the National Secretary of the PDP.
- The BoT commends the PDP Governors’ Forum, the National Working Committee, South East…”
