PDP: Pressure Mounts On Damagum To Swear In Ude-Okoye As National Scribe

Indication has emerged that there is pressure on the acting national chairman of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Ambassador Illiya Damagum to immediately recognise and swear in Sunday Ude-Okoye, as the national secretary.

This followed a memo by PDP national legal adviser, Kamaldeen Ajibade SAN, declaring that Ude-Okoye is the national secretary.

The national legal adviser said this in a memo responding to Damagum’s request for legal advice on whether to follow the directive from the BoT and PDP Governors, who also recognised Ude-Okoye as national secretary.

Erstwhile national secretary, Senator Samuel Anyanwu and Ude-Okoye, have been locked in a tussle over national secretary position of the PDP.

South East leaders of the PDP had nominated Ude-Okoye to replace Anyanwu, who had lost the legal battle to retain the position at High and Appeal courts, and has proceeded to the Supreme Court.
However, following a physical exchange at a BoT meeting in Wadata the party’s national secretariat, the advisory body, in a subsequent meeting, recognised Ude-Okoye as national secretary which concurred with the position of PDP governors who had met earlier in Delta State.

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Anyanwu has repeatedly opposed the position of the BoT and the governors, insisting that he will not abide by their pronouncements because he is still fighting his removal in court.

Responding to Damagum’s memo on February 6, Ajibade said he fully affirmed and adopted the report of the PDP BoT.

However, Ajibade in his memo to Damagum dated February 7 and obtained by LEADERSHIP, said since Ude-Okoye and Senator Samuel Anyanwu submitted themselves to the BoT panel chaired by former minister of Special Duties, Tanimu Turaki, they should demonstrate the honour of accepting the panel’s findings.

The memo by the PDP legal adviser read in part, “The contending parties have voluntarily submitted to the authority of the Dr. Kabiru T. Turaki, SAN led committee and a legal opinion/advice having been proffered after evaluation of documents tendered by parties, calling for review of the said legal opinion/advise 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 have 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,” he said.