A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has struck out a lawsuit filed by Samuel Anyanwu in which he sought judicial recognition as the national secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Justice Mohammed Umar dismissed the case on Tuesday after Anyanwu’s counsel, U. C. Njemanze-Aku, informed the court that his client’s tenure as national secretary lapsed in December 2025.
The suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/254/2025, had asked the court to bar the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and Umar Damagum, who was PDP national chairman at the time, from recognising or acting on any communication from the party that did not carry Anyanwu’s signature.
When proceedings commenced, Anyanwu’s lawyer told the court that developments had rendered the case irrelevant.
“In the interest of justice, I apply to withdraw this matter to save the time of the court,” he said.
INEC’s counsel, Akintayo Balogun, argued that the suit should never have been filed and urged the court to dismiss it with a cost of N1 million. Damagum’s lawyer, M. O. Akpan, aligned himself with INEC’s position.
After listening to submissions from all parties, Justice Umar dismissed the suit but declined to impose any financial penalty.
“Since you have joined issues, I am going to dismiss this matter. The matter is hereby dismissed,” the judge ruled.
The position of PDP national secretary has been fiercely contested, with Anyanwu, Sunday Udeh-Okoye and Setonji Koshoedo all laying claim to the office at different times.
The dispute deepened in December when a PDP faction aligned with Nyesom Wike, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), dissolved the party’s national working committee (NWC) and installed a caretaker committee, appointing Abdulrahman Mohammed as chairman and Anyanwu as secretary.
The group argued that the tenure of the NWC elected in October 2021 had expired.
However, a rival faction backed by PDP governors — including Bala Mohammed of Bauchi and Seyi Makinde of Oyo — held a convention in November and elected a new NWC, with Kabiru Turaki emerging as chairman.
That convention also announced the expulsion of Wike and his supporters, including Anyanwu and former Oyo governor Ayodele Fayose. The Wike-aligned faction rejected the move, formed parallel party organs, and responded by expelling members of the opposing camp, further entrenching the party’s internal crisis.
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