Alex Enumah in Abuja
National Secretary of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Samuel Anyanwu, has appealed the judgement of a High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), which affirmed his expulsion from the party.
The appeal coming three months after the judgement of Justice Y. Halilu, signaled increasing anxiety of the legitimacy of Anyanwu’s secretaryship of the party, going by the critical role the secretary plays in the party.
Anyanwu as scribe of PDP played a crucial and constitutional role in the appointment of Abdulrahman Mohammed as Acting National Chairman of a faction of PDP.
He was also a member of the National Caretaker Working Committee that organised the March 28 and 29 National Convention, which produced the current national officers of PDP, said to be loyal to Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike.
Barely two weeks after the emergence of the Mohammed-led leadership, concerns continued to mount over the validity of Anyanwu’s action, because of the judgement affirming his suspension and subsequent recommendation for sack by the Chief Tom Ikimi-led National Disciplinary Committee (NDC) for allegedly engaging in anti-party activities.
National Working Committee (NWC) of PDP had on November 1, 2025 suspended Anyanwu as well as the faction’s national legal adviser, Kamaldeen Ajibade; national organising secretary, Bature Umar; and national auditor, Okechukwu Osuoha from the party.
The suspension was affirmed by the Abuja division of the Court of Appeal in its March 9, judgement wherein the appellate court nullified the convention that produced Tanimu Turaki.
Members of the faction were apprehensive that Anyanwu signed the letter to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) appointing Abdulrahman Mohammed as acting national chairman on November 3, 2025, while under suspension.
The situation, they feared, might have jeopardised all other activities of the faction, including its national convention, the composition of its National Working Committee, and capacity to validly nominate candidates for election.
The development was said to be creating some anxieties within the Wike faction of PDP, which was believed to have led to the move by Anyanwu to reverse the FCT High Court judgement against him.
Anyanwu, in the Notice of Appeal filed on April 10, 2026 by his lawyer, K. C. O. Njemanze, SAN, prayed the appellate court to set aside the judgement of the lower court and annul the recommended expulsion from the party.
In the nine grounds notice of appeal, Anyanwu argued that Halilu erred in law when he held and declared that “the plaintiff’s failure to exhaust the internal remedies provided by the PDP constitution rendered his suit premature and incompetent, and the jurisdiction of this court is thereby ousted”.
In another ground, the appellant submitted that the trial court erred when it held that the plaintiff’s claims did not fall within any recognised exception, adding, “claimant invites the court to determine the propriety of acts undertaken by an organ of a political party pursuant to its constitution. This court cannot do that.”
According to the appellant, his complaints transcends the internal or domestic affairs of PDP, and the “suit is not premature and the lower court has the requisite jurisdiction to hear and determine the suit”.
The reliefs sought included an order allowing the appeal, setting aside the order of the lower court striking out plaintiff’s suit and, “to enter judgement in favour of the appellant.”
The Ikimi-led seven-member committee had on March 10, 2025 recommended the expulsion of Anyanwu from PDP for anti-party activities following findings arising from petitions by some party members.
The NDC report indicated that Anyanwu declined to appear before the committee.
Displeased, Anyanwu instituted legal action against the NDC and the former NWC led by Ambassador Iliya Umar Damagum at the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.
In the suit marked: CV/1050/2025, Anyanwu had prayed the court to set aside the findings, decision and recommendation of the committee on the ground that it lacked competence to determine allegations made against him.
He further urged the court to invalidate the decision of the committee claiming that it constituted a violation of his fundamental right to fair hearing under the constitution of PDP.
But the court in its verdict dismissed the case for want of jurisdiction on the ground that Anyanwu’s claims were non-justiciable intra-party disputes while also affirming that they lacked merit.