A Federal High Court in Abuja has dismissed a lawsuit filed by Senator Samuel Anyanwu, a factional National Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), seeking official recognition as the party’s scribe. The court’s decision came after it was established that Anyanwu’s tenure as PDP National Secretary had expired in December 2025, rendering the matter academic.
The suit, which was originally filed against the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and Umar Damagun, former Acting National Chairman of the PDP, was struck out by Justice Mohammed Umar. Anyanwu had sought an order restraining INEC from recognizing or acting on any PDP correspondence not signed by him, as well as an order barring Damagun from forwarding PDP correspondence to INEC without his countersignature.
The court had earlier expanded the list of parties to include the PDP and Sunday Udeh-Okoye, among others. However, when the case was called, Anyanwu’s counsel, U.C. Njemanze-Aku, informed the court that his client’s tenure as PDP National Secretary had expired, and the circumstances had overtaken the suit. He applied to withdraw the matter, citing the need to save the court’s time.
INEC’s counsel, Akintayo Balogun, argued that the suit should not have been instituted in the first place and urged the court to dismiss the matter and award costs. The counsel for the other defendants aligned with Balogun’s position, requesting costs of N1 million each. However, Justice Umar dismissed the suit without awarding costs, stating that the delay was not the fault of any party and that the situation had made the matter academic.
The dispute over the PDP National Secretary position began after Anyanwu vacated the office to contest the 2023 Imo State governorship election. His subsequent attempt to return to the position sparked internal party tension, with Sunday Udeh-Okoye laying claim to the seat. The matter had been the subject of several court rulings, including a Supreme Court decision that reinstated Anyanwu in March 2025. Despite the apex court’s ruling, leadership disputes persisted within the PDP, leading to the institution of the fresh suit by Anyanwu. The dismissal of the suit brings an end to the latest chapter in the PDP’s leadership saga, but the party’s internal conflicts may continue to simmer.
