By Johnson Eyiangho, Abuja

The management and staff of the National Secretariat of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have pledged to work with Arch Setonji Koshoedo, as the Acting National Secretary of the party in line with the provisions of the PDP Constitution.Addressing a news conference yesterday, the entire 83 members of staff, comprising management, middle and junior cadre staff, said the National Working Committee’s (NWC) directive that Arch Setonji Koshoedo should act as National Secretary is in the overall interest of the stability of the party.

He said as critical stakeholders of the PDP, the staffers were deeply concerned that in the last one year, the PDP has been engulfed with disturbing leadership issues, particularly the office of the National Secretary.Bawa noted that the contention for the position of the party’s national scribe began after Senator Samuel Anyanwu on April 12, 2023 as National Secretary contested and won the nomination as the candidate of the PDP for November 11, 2023, Governorship election in Imo State.He stated it was believed that upon his nomination as the gubernatorial candidate of the party, Sen. Anyanwu had automatically resigned his position as the National Secretary, leading the South East Zonal Chapter on the 20th of October, 2023 to pass a resolution approving and forwarding the name of Hon. S.K.E Udeh Okoye to the NWC as replacement for Senator Anyanwu.”This development sparked off a dispute including a series of litigations from the High Court of Enugu which on 22nd December, 2023 delivered judgement in favour of Hon. Udeh-Okoye, to the Court of Appeal, Enugu Division, which in its judgement delivered on 20th December 2024 upheld the judgement of the Enugu High Court.”Upon the judgement of the Court of Appeal, the organs and leadership bodies of the Party; namely the Board of Trustees, the NWC, the South East Zonal Caucus and the PDP Governor’s Forum recognized Hon. Udeh Okoye as the National Secretary of the Party.”He said the landmark judgment delivered by the Supreme Court on March 21, 2025, affirming that the issue of party leadership positions, including that of the National Secretary as internal affairs of the party requiring only the party internal mechanism to which the courts have no jurisdiction led to renewed disputation.Senator Anyanwu had argued that the judgment favoured him because the judgements of the Enugu State High Court and the Court of Appeal, Enugu Division were struck-out by the Supreme Court for lack of jurisdiction.However, the NWC in an official statement on the same March 21, 2025, stated that the Supreme Court judgment settled the emergence of Hon. Udeh Okoye as the National Secretary having been duly nominated, endorsed and ratified through the internal mechanism of the PDP statutory Organs and bodies in line with provisions of the PDP Constitution (as amended in 2017).To find a lasting solution, the PDP Governors’ Forum at its meeting on Monday, April 14, 2025 in Ibadan, Oyo State capital reiterated its position endorsing Hon Udeh Okoye as National Secretary but recommended that in the light of the Supreme Court Judgment, the Deputy National Secretary, Arch Setonji Koshoedo should act as the National Secretary pending the nomination and ratification of a substantive National Secretary from the South East Zone and National Executive Committee respectively at its next meeting.The recommendation, which is in consonant with Section 36 (2) of the PDP Constitution was duly adopted by the NWC in its 600th meeting held on April 29, 2025 wherein in exercise of its powers under Section 29 (2)(b) of the PDP Constitution directed the Deputy National Secretary, Setonji Koshoedo to act as the National Secretary pending the emergence of a substantive National Secretary.