A group under the auspices of PDP Interest Watchdog, has mocked a claimant to the position of the PDP National Secretary Rt. Hon. Udeh-Okoye, over INEC rejection of a letter signed by him and the confirmation of the expulsion of the now former member and national vice chairman South East zone of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chief Ali Odefa, by a federal high court sitting in Abakaliki.
Recall that, the PDP in a letter to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) dated 25th February, 2025 and signed by its acting National Chairman Ambassador Umar Illiya Damagum and Hon. Sunday Udeh-Okoye a claimant to the position of the national secretary, notifying the commission of rescheduling of the South South zonal congress.
The group claimed that, a source at INEC headquarters who prefers to be anonymous confirmed the rejection of the letter sent to INEC solely on the grounds that, the second signatory Hon. Sunday Udeh-Okoye as at today is not known by law to be the national secretary of PDP.
According to the group, the source in INEC said, if it was Sen. Samuel Anyanwu that signed the letter alongside the acting national chairman, as the PDP national secretary, the commission would have honoured the letter. Because in the eyes of the commission Sen. Anyanwu remains the national secretary of PDP, until the supreme court rules contrary, having been notified of a federal high court order restraining the commission and an appeal court stay of execution (status quo remains ante bellum). So the commission is compelled by the courts to obey the law.
The group alleged that, Hon. Sunday Udeh-Okoye lacks the moral and political characters to be the national secretary of the largest political party on the continent of Africa. Anybody but Udeh-Okoye.
And also, the national coordinator of the group, Rukayat Tajudeen, claimed that, the PDP South East zonal congress is invalid. She gave two reasons for her assertion.
“Firstly, a Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court has restrained PDP from conducting zonal congress in the South East. Ruling on an Exparte motion suit no: FCT/HC/CV/325/2025, Hon. Justice S. B. Belgore ordered that all parties in the suit, including the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), a former member and National Vice Chairman of the South-East PDP, Chief Ali Odefa and two others and their agents to maintain status quo until the substantive suit is determined”.
“And secondly, there was a federal high court in Abakaliki which ruling affirmed the expulsion of the national vice chairman of the PDP South East zone chief Ali Odefa, from the party. Delivering judgement on Wednesday, Justice Hilary Oshomah upheld the expulsion and granted all the reliefs sought by the ward executive committee. He ruled that Mr Odefa was validly expelled from the party by his ward executive.
“Henceforth, PDP should not permit the first defendant, Odefa, to function as its National Vice Chairman of the Southeast Zone of Nigeria, including representing the second defendant (PDP) at any engagement.and allowed access to the office of the National Vice Chairman of PDP in the zone in view of the expulsion,”
Therefore, the group commended the electoral commission for abiding by the extant laws of the land and honouring the court orders. They urge the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the Acting National Chairman, Ambassador Umar Illiya Damagum, the PDP BoT, the PDP governors forum and the worrying parties to shed their sword and toe the line of INEC pending the hearing and determination of the case at the supreme Court which will come up on the tenth of March, 2025.