Embattled National Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Samuel Anyanwu, has cried out the orchestrated efforts to remove him from office as the party’s scribe.
This is even as Anyanwu accused the PDP Governors and the Board of Trustees (BoT) members fighting him due to his close relationship with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike.
Anyanwu made this disclosure in an exclusive interview with Saturday Tribune, on Saturday.
Fielding questions in the interview, Anyanwu claimed that the calls for the inauguration of Sunday Udeh-Okoye as the substantive National Secretary is in and faith. He noted that the Court of Appeal has affirmed his position. Anyanwu, therefore, stated that position of the PDP Governors and BoT members following his affirmation by the Court of Appeal shows they against him.
Recall that the PDP has been grappling with internal strife, driven by factions loyal to Wike and those resisting his influence within the party. Anyanwu, aligned with Wike, has been perceived as a key ally of the former Rivers State governor.
Speaking at the interview, Anyanwu insisted that his detractors are solely motivated by his association with Wike.
He said, “The truth of the matter is that these people are fighting a proxy war. They know my relationship with Wike. That’s all. I don’t have any issue with any of them.”
The embattled National Secretary, however, dismissed the legitimacy of the Governors’ and BoT’s actions. He argued that neither holds constitutional authority within the PDP.
“The Governors’ Forum is a voluntary organization. Any Governor can decide to be a member. It’s not a compulsory thing. It’s a social gathering,” he explained.
Anyanwu also highlighted that he has held the position as National Secretary even before most of the current Governors took office.
“I know these people. The party gave them tickets to become Governors. I was National Secretary before most of them became Governors,” he stated.
Speaking on the lingering crisis, Anyanwu alleged that the State Governors are manufacturing crises within the PDP as a precursor to defecting and establishing their own political parties.
“There is no issue in the party. They are just creating tension. Causing unnecessary problems for them to go to the respective parties they want to form,” he alleged.
Recall that the controversy bedeviling the party intensified after the PDP Governors Forum meeting in Asaba, Delta State. The Forum at the meeting, endorsed Udeh-Okoye as National Secretary. This endorsement came on the heels of a Court of Appeal ruling in Enugu that recognized Udeh-Okoye as the legitimate officeholder.
Udeh-Okoye’s appointment follows Anyanwu’s temporary resignation to contest the 2024 Imo State governorship election. After his electoral defeat, Anyanwu sought to reclaim the National Secretary position. This is despite the South-East Zone’s nomination of Udeh-Okoye in line with party protocols.
On it part, the BoT reinforced the Governors’ Forum’s decision by adopting the report of a committee led by Barr. Kabiru Tanimu Turaki (SAN). The report had supported the court’s ruling in favour of Udeh-Okoye.
source: Nigerian Tribune
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