The whole 83 staff of the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) National Secretariat have waded into the crisis of confidence plaguing the party, especially as it affects the National Secretary.
In a statement signed by all of them on Wednesday, they backed the decision of the PDP Governors Forum in appointing the Deputy National Secretary, Arch Setonji Koshoedo as the Acting National Secretary pending the emergence of a substantive National Secretary.
The national staff who traced the trajectory of the crisis appealed to Senator Samuel Anyanwu to consider what the party has done for him and give peace a chance. They also called on Acting National Chairman, Amb Umar Iliya Damangum to ensure that the National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting planned for May 27 is held by all means to enable the party to sort out all pertinent issues.
The full statement reads:
A CLARION CALL FOR STABILITY AND SURVIVAL OF OUR PARTY, THE PEOPLES DEMOCRATIC PARTY (PDP)
Gentlemen of the Press, it is with the highest sense of loyalty and duty to our great Party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the sustenance of democracy and the interest of our nation, Nigeria that we the management and staff of the National Secretariat of the PDP being critical stakeholders in the affairs of the Party address you today.
The management and staff of the National Secretariat of the PDP are deeply concerned that in the last one year, the PDP has been engulfed with very disturbing leadership issues particularly over the office of the National Secretary.
The disputation was worsened by protracted litigations, violent disruption of activities at the Party secretariat and damaging media narratives which pose serious threat to the stability and survival of our Party as well as the credibility of our internal processes.
It is to be noted that staff of the National Secretariat are among the key Stakeholders in the affairs of the Party because many of them have spent 20-25 years of their working life striving to establish and grow the bureaucracy of the Party and are bestowed with the institutional memory of the Party.
Therefore, members of staff are desirous and concerned in getting these problems solved without further delay.
As you may be aware the contention for the position of the National Secretary of the PDP started 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.
In the belief that upon his nomination as the Gubernatorial Candidate of our Party, Sen. Samuel Anyanwu has automatically resigned his position as the National Secretary, the South East Zonal Chapter on the 20th of October, 2023 passed 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 disputation including 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.
Dissatisfied, Senator Anyanwu went to the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court in a landmark judgement delivered on March 21, 2025 affirmed that the issue of Party leadership positions, including that of the National Secretary is entirely an internal affairs of the Party requiring only the Party internal mechanism to which the courts have no jurisdiction.
The judgement of the Supreme Court led to renew disputation as Senator Anyanwu argued that it was in his favour because the judgements of both the Enugu State High Court and the Court of Appeal, Enugu Division were struct-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. SKE 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).
As you may recall, in its bid to find a lasting solution, the PDP Governor’s 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.
This 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, Arch Setonji Koshoedo to act as the National Secretary pending the emergence of a substantive National Secretary.
After a thorough consideration, the management and staff of the PDP National Secretariat unanimously align with and declare unalloyed loyalty to the recommendation of the PDP Governor’s Forum as adopted by the NWC in recognizing and working with Arch Setonji Koshoedo as the Acting National Secretary of our party in line with the provisions of the PDP Constitution.
We believe that the NWC’s directive that Arch Setonji Koshoedo acts as National Secretary is in the overall interest of the stability of our party being the best step at the moment to restore the confidence of members of the party and preserve the integrity of our internal processes given the sensitive nature of the office of the National Secretary in the operation of a political party.
Moreover, we are aware that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has received and acknowledged Arch Setonji Koshoedo as the Acting National Secretary of the PDP.
We are also aware that INEC is receiving and attending to correspondences of our party signed by Arch Setonji Koshoedo, contrary to false narratives by certain quarters.
As Staff of the PDP, we fully recognize and appreciate the roles and contributions Senator Anyanwu has played and made for the growth and success of the party especially issues regarding to staff welfare but at this moment we strongly believe that there is no sacrifice too high for any individual to make for the overall interest of our party.
The PDP gave him the platform from which he rose from Local Government Chairman, to Senator and also elected as the National Secretary of our Party.
The PDP staff also calls on the Acting National Chairman, Amb. Umar Iliya Damagum to take all necessary steps to ensure that the National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting of the Party holds as scheduled on May, 27, 2025 to enable the party address all pertinent issues and reassert its values of unity, discipline, loyalty and strict adherence to the provisions of the Constitution of our great Party.
The management and staff of the PDP National Secretariat hereby commend the BoT, NWC, the Governors Forum and other stakeholders and pledge our continued loyalty and commitment to the PDP at all times.
This document is endorsed by the entire staff of the PDP National Secretariat:
S/N NAMES CADRE SIGN
- ALH. GURAMA BAWA DIRECTOR, ADMINISTRATION …………………
- NNOROM CHINWE IHUOMA DIRECTOR, PUBLICITY …………………
- YUSUF ISMAIL ALKALI DIRECTOR, FINANCE …………………
- MOYEGUN ADEYEMI DIRECTOR, ORG & MOB …………………
- DR. EDWARD UGBADA ADIE DG PDI …………………
- GWEBE DAN-TEKURA DIRECTOR …………………
- ANICHO OKORO DIRECTOR, CABINET …………………
- BARR. IBRAHIM GARBA DEPUTY DIRECTOR …………………
- GAMBO ISA GAUDE DEPUTY DIRECTOR …………………
- IHEDIWA RICHARD ASSISTANT DIRECTOR …………………
- AGAPE KRAMER ASSISTANT DIRECTOR …………………
- MAGAJI KABIRU ASSISTANT DIRECTOR …………………
- UDOAKA CHRISTOPHER ASSISTANT DIRECTOR …………………
- KANEBI SCHOLASTICA ASSISTANT DIRECTOR …………………
- PST. EJEH JOSEPHINE ASSISTANT DIRECTOR …………………
- EKPE EMMANUEL IKPAI ASSISTANT DIRECTOR …………………
- HUSSEINI YARIMA ASSISTANT DIRECTOR …………………
- ADAMU SANI ASSISTANT DIRECTOR …………………
- DANAZUMI BOSHE ASSISTANT DIRECTOR …………………
- JUMBO TOMBRA BLANKSON ASSISTANT DIRECTOR …………………
- ANIUGWU GRACE NWAMAKA SUPERVISORY …………………
- OGBETE EDITH NNEOMA SUPERVISORY …………………
- NSOFOR CORDELIA SUPERVISORY …………………
- OGBONYOMI MARIA SUPERVISORY …………………
- AKINSETTE CAROLINE SUPERVISORY …………………
- OMONIYI OLUBUNMI A. SUPERVISORY …………………
- SHEMU DEBORAH JANA SUPERVISORY …………………
- OMOBO WILLIAMS SUNDAY SUPERVISORY …………………
- AYODEJI GBENGA FREDRICK SUPERVISORY …………………
- ADEYEMI FLORENCE O. SUPERVISORY …………………
- OTOKPA JACOB OCHAI SUPERVISORY …………………
- USMAN SULAIMAN SUPERVISORY …………………
- BARR. FANOKUN ADEDAMOLA SUPERVISORY …………………
- SHERIFF AHMED SHERIFF SUPERVISORY …………………
- DAUDAWA HASSAN MOHAMMED SUPERVISORY …………………
- AGBETUYI ANTHONY SUPERVISORY …………………
- ASABO AYODEJI VICTOR SUPERVISORY …………………
- OLAWOYIN FALILAT OLAJUMOKE SUPERVISORY …………………
- FOLORUNSHO BASHIR FAISAL SUPERVISORY …………………
- ASOBINUANWU NHEOMA NDU SUPERVISORY …………………
- ONAH MERCY SUPERVISORY …………………
- JOHNSON MAIMUNA SUPERVISORY …………………
- OGUNLOWO DAVID ADEBAYO SUPERVISORY …………………
- MOHAMMED BABA A. SUPERVISORY …………………
- BEN PRECIOUS SUPERVISORY …………………
- SADIKU ABDULJAFARU SUPERVISORY …………………
- NWACHUKWU CHINEDU BARBRA SUPERVISORY …………………
- OKORONKWO EMMANUEL SUPERVISORY …………………
- YAHAYA NASIRU INTERMEDIATE …………………
- AYIM OSIM NZAN INTERMEDIATE …………………
- KWABLANG GODE CEPHAS INTERMEDIATE …………………
- NDAM NANCHANG INTERMEDIATE …………………
- KEVIN ANDASON INTERMEDIATE …………………
- EZEKIEL INNOCENT CHIBUNDU INTERMEDIATE …………………
- IBU THOMAS I. INTERMEDIATE …………………
- NYITYO MARYANN INTERMEDIATE …………………
- BALAMI MAMMY YARMI INTERMEDIATE …………………
- ADEDOKUN ADEOLA SHAKIRAT INTERMEDIATE …………………
- AYODELE BIMBO INTERMEDIATE …………………
- NANDOM MARGARET INTERMEDIATE …………………
- ADEWOLE KAFAYAT ADEDAYO INTERMEDIATE …………………
- BEGHA TERNA INTERMEDIATE …………………
- IGWE FRIDAY INTERMEDIATE …………………
- HWOK TSON DON INTERMEDIATE …………………
- UKWAYI CECILIA ANDORSHIYE INTERMEDIATE …………………
- JOHNSON MARGARET FUNMILAYO INTERMEDIATE …………………
- OMACHOKO ABRAHAM MUSA INTERMEDIATE …………………
- ENANTOMHEN ANDREW INTERMEDIATE …………………
- JAOLI EMMANUEL INTERMEDIATE …………………
- GIDADDO ABBA UMAR INTERMEDIATE …………………
- DR. EDWARD UGBADA INTERMEDIATE …………………
- ULUCHI BABARA INTERMEDIATE …………………
- NYAM TERFA JUNIOR …………………
- UNAZI ODANG STEPHEN JUNIOR …………………
- ALABI EDWARD JUNIOR …………………
- OBASOHAN JULIUS JNR JUNIOR …………………
- SULEIMAN FALALU JUNIOR …………………
- KAKU MAMMAN JUNIOR …………………
- ONUH JOSEPH JUNIOR …………………
- ASHI NGI STELLA JUNIOR …………………
- ETIM EMMANUEL JOSEPH JUNIOR …………………
- MARASA LAMI JUNIOR …………………
- ADEBOYE ADEMUYIWA JUNIOR …………………
