1 week ago
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From Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) National Legal Adviser, Kamaldeen Ajibade, has asked the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) to swear in former youth leader, Sunday Ude-Okoye, as national secretary, in line with the decision of the party’s Board of Trustees ( BoT).
Ajibade, in a memo to the PDP acting national chairman, Umar Damagum, said the contending parties in the tussle for the national secretary position submitted themselves to the intervention of the BoT, it is in the best interest of the party to comply with the resolution of the board on the issue.
Ude-Okoye and Senator Samuel Anyanwu have a dagger drawn following the judgment of the Court of Appeal, Enugu Division, which affirmed the former as the national secretary of the party.
The South East chapter of the opposition party had on October 23, 2023 nominated the former youth leader as replacement for Anyanwu as national secretary after his emergence as PDP candidate in the last Imo gubernatorial contest.
However, the issue degenerated into a legal dispute with the Court of Appeal affirming the judgment of an Enugu High Court, which upheld Ude-Okoye nomination as PDP national secretary.
While Anyanwu, who have appealed the judgment continued to insist that he is still national secretary, the PDP Governors Forum, at their last meeting, in Asaba, threw their weight behind Ude-Okoye and urged the NWC to swear him in. The BoT after a meeting, in Abuja last week, also recognised the former national youth leader as the new PDP National Secretary and directed the NWC to swear him in immediately.
Consequently, Damagum sought the opinion of the PDP national legal adviser. Ajibade, in a memo, dated February 7, which was received in the office of the acting national chairman, yesterday, was titled “Legal Opinion with Regards to the Position of the National Secretary.
The memo read in part: “It is without doubt that the contending parties voluntarily submitted their respective documents and after due consideration of the same, the committee submitted its legal opinion/Advise signed by Dr. Kabiru T. Turaki, SAN to the BOT.
The BOT sanctioned the said report/legal opinion in its communique issued at the end of its emergency meeting on 5th day of February,2025. See resolution 3 in the communique of the BOT of 5th February , 2025 wherein it was captured thus; “The BOT in exercise of its constitutional powers received, exhaustively considered and hereby adopt the report of its committee led by Kabiru Tanimu Turaki SAN on the issue of the National Secretary of the PDP especially with regard to the declarative judgment of the High Court of Enugu as upheld by the Court of Appeal.’
“The contending parties having voluntarily submitted to the authority of the Dr. Kabiru T. Turaki, led committee and a legal opinion/Advise having been proffered after evaluation of documents tendered by parties, calling for review of the said legal opinion/advice in my opinion is not only improper but will undermine the effort of the BOT and increase the already existing tension as well as worsen the volatility within the party which may be difficult to arrest.
“It is, therefore, my advice that the contending parties having willingly submitted themselves to the authority of the committee led by Dr. Kabiru T. Turaki, SAN should be honourable enough to abide by the outcome of the legal opinion/advice stemming from the proceeding
they unreservedly consented to, most especially that the said legal opinion/Advice was signed by a well experienced Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and same adopted by the BOT which is the conscience of the party. See Article 32(5) (a) to (i) of the Constitution (amended
in 2017) of our great party.
“Finally, I have nothing to add to the said legal opinion, it is hereby
adopted as mine.”
English (US) ·