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Confusion As PDP Argues Supreme Court Judgment, Affirms Udeh-Okoye As National Secretary

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The National Working Committee (NWC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has welcomed the Supreme Court judgment, asserting that the ruling validates Rt. Hon. SKE Udeh-Okoye as the substantive National Secretary of the party.

In a statement signed by PDP’s National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, the party said the Supreme Court’s decision confirmed that leadership matters within the PDP remain internal affairs, beyond the jurisdiction of the courts.

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Today’s judgment of the Supreme Court reaffirms the standing position of the Party and emphatically settles the emergence of Rt. Hon. SKE Udeh-Okoye as the substantive National Secretary of the PDP, having been duly nominated, endorsed, and ratified through the internal mechanism of the PDP statutory organs in line with the party’s constitution,” the statement read.

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The leadership dispute arose following Senator Samuel Anyanwu’s nomination as the PDP governorship candidate for the November 2023 election in Imo State. The NWC, at its 576th meeting on October 11, 2023, directed the South East Zonal Executive Committee to nominate a replacement.

On October 20, 2023, the South East Zonal Executive Committee passed a resolution nominating Udeh-Okoye for the position. This nomination was approved by the NWC at its 577th meeting on November 7, 2023, with endorsements from the Board of Trustees (BoT), the PDP Governors’ Forum, and other key party organs. The appointment was also communicated to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The Supreme Court nullified the judgments that removed Senator Anyanwu as National Secretary.

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However, on Friday, the Supreme Court nullified the judgments that removed Senator Anyanwu as National Secretary, declaring that the lower courts had wrongly interfered in the party’s internal affairs.

READ ALSO: JUST IN: Supreme Court Dismisses PDP Case Against Aiyedatiwa’s Candidacy

A five-member panel led by Justice Uwani Abba-Aji ruled that the Enugu High Court and the Court of Appeal erred in their decisions. In the lead judgment by Justice Jamilu Tukur, the apex court emphasized that political parties must manage their own affairs unless they violate their own constitution or the principles of fairness, justice, and equity.

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Additionally, the court held that Aniagu Emmanuel, the plaintiff who initiated the case, lacked the legal standing to challenge the PDP’s internal decisions. As a result, all previous judgments against Anyanwu and Udeh-Okoye’s appointment were vacated for lack of jurisdiction.

According to VANGUARD, following the judgment, the PDP praised the Supreme Court for upholding party supremacy, calling it a victory for democracy.

READ ALSO: Dangote Stops Petrol Sale In Naira, Gives Condition For Resumption

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The PDP commends the Supreme Court for upholding the principle of the supremacy of the party in managing its internal affairs. We urge all patriotic members of the PDP to remain united as we work together to move our great party forward,” the NWC stated.

While the judgment clarifies the PDP’s position on the National Secretary dispute, it has also sparked debates within party circles, as different factions continue to interpret the ruling to suit their interests.

 

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VIDEO: How Peter Obi Betrayed Me – Kenneth Okonkwo In New Interview

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Veteran actor and ex-spokesperson of the Labour Party Presidential Campaign Council, Kenneth Okonkwo, has accused former presidential candidate, Peter Obi, of betrayal in the wake of internal party disputes.

In a viral interview with Symfoni which started trending on Saturday, Okonkwo, who officially exited the Labour Party in February 2025, revealed that Obi went against his advice and returned to support the embattled Julius Abure-led faction of the party, despite alleged warnings.

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According to him, Obi was misled by LP executives who claimed that the Independent National Electoral Commission had recognised them.

He said, “Any politician that knows what he’s doing cannot be betrayed by another. If there is anybody that betrayed the other, I can say it emphatically that Peter Obi betrayed me.

READ ALSO: Nigeria No Longer A Democracy, Peter Obi Laments

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“The Julius Abure-led LP members lied to Obi that the Independent National Electoral Commission had accepted them and Obi surreptitiously went back to them but I told him: ‘Sir, you have made a public statement on integrity and even if INEC has accepted them, that is not a criterion for you to go back and start dealing with them because they have shown that they are not democratic. If you go back to them, they will destroy your political career and everything you have said about integrity will die.’”

He said that despite privately urging Obi not to align with a group he described as “undemocratic” and “agents of the government,” Okonkwo said Obi went ahead to publicly endorse them.

“I told Obi that these people had become agents in the hands of the government to destabilise him. What they did was absolutely illegal and unconstitutional, I told him that if he went back to them, I wouldn’t join him in doing so.

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“Thereafter, I called all the people that were in the inner circle and told them the same thing about what Obi was trying to do. I told them he wanted to go back with the Abure people and if he did, I wouldn’t go back with him because I do not swallow back my words.

READ ALSO: Teen Who Stood In Front Of Peter Obi’s Convoy Freed After Months In Kirikiri

“And after saying all those things, within like 72 hours, Obi went back to Abure’s office to publicly endorse them and while he was there talking to them, one of the leaders in that executive sent me the video to mock me that the person I was fighting for against them has come to their office to endorse them.

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“It was when INEC dissociated itself from Abure that Obi came out to start acting neutral but I told him he could not be neutral and something had to be done,” he added.

The Labour Party has been embroiled in a prolonged leadership crisis, with opposing factions laying claim to the party’s national structure.

The Abure-led faction has faced allegations of financial mismanagement and anti-democratic practices, which critics say contradict the party’s reformist image.

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Okonkwo, a known loyalist of Obi’s political ideology, cited these irregularities as his reason for quitting the party earlier in the year.

Watch video below:

https://twitter.com/i/status/1933867577651925202https://twitter.com/i/status/1933867577651925202

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Amaechi Slams Tinubu’s Policies In Fresh Outburst

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Former Minister of Transportation and two-time governor of Rivers State, Rotimi Amaechi, has asked the coalition opposition to kick President Bola Tinubu out of office if Nigeria is to escape its deepening economic crisis.

In a no-holds-barred interview with the BBC, Amaechi, a founding member and chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, lamented the country’s deteriorating condition and signalled his willingness to help forge a new opposition coalition to rescue the nation.

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People are dying. People are starving. I myself am feeling the effects of hunger,” he said, painting a grim picture of life under the current administration.

Amaechi’s statement comes in the wake of the APC’s recent endorsement of Tinubu as its sole presidential candidate for 2027, a move Amaechi openly questioned.

READ ALSO: I Don’t Want To Join Issues With Children, Amaechi Hits Back At Wike

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While reiterating his loyalty to the party, he warned that fidelity to a political platform should never come at the cost of national conscience.

If the government is failing the country, you don’t just go along because you’re in the same party. You know that’s not right,” he stated emphatically.

Though he stopped short of confirming a 2027 presidential bid, the former minister said the option remained on the table.

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“Certainly, I believe I can make a meaningful contribution,” he added, hinting that his political journey may not yet be over.

READ ALSO: Democracy Day: Gov. Mohammed Advocates Unity, Good Governance

He spoke of widespread poverty, spiralling food insecurity, and daily tragedies that now dot the national landscape.

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Reflecting on his years as Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, Amaechi lamented that the number of out-of-school children then pegged at 10 million, had since ballooned.

The economic hardship, he said, had also deepened insecurity.

“The Boko Haram insurgency is not just a religious crisis. Many of those involved are driven by desperation and hunger,” he asserted, linking terrorism, banditry, and kidnapping to a broader socioeconomic collapse.

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Amaechi’s declaration added momentum to an emerging political realignment.

 

Talks were already underway among key opposition figures, including Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party and Peter Obi of the Labour Party, as they explored the possibility of a unified front against Tinubu in 2027.

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Even ex-Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State and once a key Tinubu ally had signalled interest in backing an opposition alliance.

But as opposition forces stir, the ruling party continues to absorb defectors, prompting fears of Nigeria drifting toward a one-party state, a scenario Amaechi warned could undermine democracy and silence dissent.

We’re thinking that if we come together and win the election, the country will certainly witness change,” he said, suggesting an urgent need for a credible alternative.

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UNN Best Graduate Wins £33,000 Com

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A student of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka’s with the overall best graduating CGPA of 4.98, Chizoba Ejiofor, has secured a fully funded Commonwealth scholarship.

Education advocate and tech entrepreneur Alex Onyia, who made this known on social media on Thursday, said he had taken responsibility for supporting Ejiofor after the university failed to award him the promised N50,000 prize for academic excellence.

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I have a good news. A very good news. You remember Chizoba Ejiofor, who graduated as UNN overall best graduating student with CGPA of 4.98, that UNN refused to fulfill the N50k price promised to him?

READ ALSO: Crisis Brews In UNN As Court Restrains Varsity From Conducting Convocation Election

“I took him up as a full responsibility. We started working tirelessly together since last year to secure a fully funded scholarship, and today we have the good news,” Onyia wrote.

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Onyia revealed that Ejiofor was awarded a fully funded Commonwealth scholarship, valued at over £33,000. The package includes tuition, flight tickets, and monthly stipends.

This is fully funded scholarship from Commonwealth. Over 33 thousand pounds in scholarship, flight tickets and monthly stipends inclusive. No one can describe how happy and fulfilled I am today,” he added.

 

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