The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has affirmed Sunday Udeh-Okoye as its National Secretary in line with a recent verdict of the Court of Appeal.
In December, the appellate court in Enugu sacked Senator Samuel Anyanwu and recognised Udeh-Okoye as the party’s National Secretary.
Briefing journalists in Abuja on Tuesday, PDP National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, stated that the party recognises Okoye as the authentic national secretary of the party, as declared by the appeal court.
“There were two court orders, and on Dec. 24, 2023, after consultation with the PDP National Legal Adviser, it was confirmed that we had received the judgment of the appeal court affirming Udeh-Okoye as the national secretary of the party,” he said.
“We are a rule of law-compliant party; we believe in this finality of the judicial process. We have always respected judicial pronouncements and we will always abide by that culture. The position of the party has not changed regarding that.
“In accordance with our position in the past as a rule of law-compliant party, we are obeying the court’s order. We will follow the process and ensure full compliance with the pronouncement of the court of appeal.
“We have received the judgment of the court of appeal that affirmed Ude-Okoye as national secretary of PDP, and as a party, we are bound by that judgment.”
Ologunagba also condemned an attack on a journalist covering the party’s activities, by a staff of the party who is loyal to the embattled national secretary.
He vowed that the party would ensure disciplinary measures are taken at the completion of investigations.
“The leadership of the PDP has received a very disturbing report that a staff of our Party, Mr. Emmanuel Okoronkwo yesterday assaulted, a correspondent of the Sun Newspapers, Mr. Ndubuisi Orji, locked out and forcefully prevented other journalists accredited to cover the activities of the PDP from gaining access into the premises of the National Secretariat of our Party to conduct their legitimate duties.
“The PDP, as a Party committed to the Rule of Law and the democratic tenets of freedom of the Press, transparency and openness strongly condemns and completely dissociates itself from such act of violence and attack on members of the Press and the institution of the Media which is critical to the activities of our Party and the sustenance of democracy in Nigeria.
“For clarity, whereas the PDP National Secretariat is closed for secretarial activities to enable our staff to participate in the Yuletide festivities with their families, it does not preclude anybody particularly the press from having access to the Secretariat to conduct their legitimate business.
“Moreover, Mr. Emmanuel Okoronkwo is not in the security department of the Party and has no business whatsoever regarding the regulation of movements into the complex. He acted on his own, in violation of democratic and all-inclusive principles for the which the PDP is known and outside the code of conduct guiding activities of staff at the PDP National Secretariat.
“The PDP is reputed for its uncompromising stand in support and defense of the Constitutional freedom of the press and cannot by any means or under any guise whatsoever engage in or condone any act that tends to abridge such legitimate freedom of the Media or any person for that matter.
“The NWC, therefore assures that the issue will be handled in strict compliance with the Party’s established Code of Conduct guiding activities of staffs at the PDP National Secretariat to serve as deterrent against such condemnable act which has no place whatsoever in the character and comportment of the PDP as a political Party.
“The PDP regrets the incident and assures of its unalloyed respect for the Press, particularly members of the PDP Press Corps as we continue as partners in progress for accountability, probity and sustenance of democracy in Nigeria,” the party’s spokesman concluded.
