Federal High Court Dismisses Senator Anyanwu’s Suit to Retain PDP Secretary Position

ABUJA, Nigeria – The Federal High Court in Abuja has dismissed a suit filed by Senator Samuel Anyanwu seeking to retain his position as the National Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Justice M. G. Umar, in a ruling delivered on Monday, threw out the case marked FHC/ABJ/CS/254/2025, which Senator Anyanwu had brought against the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and others.

The senator had sought an injunction to prevent his removal from office and to restrain INEC from accepting any PDP correspondence not bearing his signature. His suit followed an earlier Supreme Court judgment that classified the tenure of the party’s national secretary as an internal affair of the PDP.

Court’s Grounds for Dismissal

In his ruling, Justice Umar hinged the decision on three major grounds:

1. Lack of Jurisdiction: The court reaffirmed the established legal principle that disputes over internal party leadership and administration are non-justiciable. Justice Umar cited recent Supreme Court precedents which bar the judiciary from interfering in how political parties manage their internal offices.

2. Abuse of Court Process: The judge noted the existence of multiple, parallel lawsuits on the same issue pending at various levels—High Courts, the Court of Appeal, and the Supreme Court. This multiplicity of litigation was deemed an abuse of the judicial process.

3. Expiration of Tenure: The court observed that Senator Anyanwu was elected as National Secretary in 2021 for a specified term. Justice Umar held that the senator could not lawfully continue in office after the expiration of the tenure for which he was elected.

The case was initially before Justice Inyang Ekwo but was later transferred to Justice Umar.

Background

The legal tussle stems from a prolonged internal dispute within the PDP over the position of National Secretary. The party’s National Working Committee had previously declared the office vacant and appointed a replacement, a move Senator Anyanwu challenged in court.

With this dismissal, the path appears clear for the PDP to finalize its internal leadership arrangements ahead of future electoral activities. The PDP has welcomed the ruling, stating it aligns with the party’s constitution and earlier decisions of its national executive.