Embattled National Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Samuel Anyanwu, has declared his unwavering support for the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike.
Anyanwu stated that no amount of intimidation would make him disown or turn against Wike amid the leadership crisis rocking the PDP.
Speaking with journalists in Abuja yesterday, Anyanwu wondered what offence he had committed that would prompt Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State and his Enugu State counterpart, Peter Mbah, to want him removed from office.
Anyanwu and Sunday Ude-Okoye have been at loggerheads over who legitimately occupies the office of the PDP National Secretary.
The crisis became evident in December 2024 when the PDP Southeast Caucus endorsed Ude-Okoye as Anyanwu’s replacement after he contested the Imo State governorship election and lost.
The Appeal Court had affirmed Ude-Okoye as the party’s National Secretary.
While PDP governors, the Board of Trustees, and the National Working Committee accepted the court ruling, Anyanwu, with the backing of Wike, challenged it at the Supreme Court.
On March 21, the Supreme Court overturned Anyanwu’s removal, ruling that internal party matters fall outside the judiciary’s jurisdiction.
However, Anyanwu said:
“My question is, what has Governor Makinde accused me of? Have I stressed him for any reason? Have I called him funny names? What is my sin? What is my problem with him? Have I done anything against him? I consider him my friend.
“When people have a motive, a vision whether you want to be president or governor what would my position do? My tenure ends in December. The election is in 2027. Primaries are in 2026. I will not be there. So what would my position do now?
“His Excellency, the FCT Minister, is my friend and my boss, and I can never, under any intimidation, deny him. Nobody can make me deny my friend because after position, there’s still life.
“This is what I tell my NWC members: We came here as a united family. It would be nice to leave as a united family so that we can still meet tomorrow and say we are brothers.
“We serve an organization. Let nobody try to fragment the National Working Committee. We have been here for over three years. We just have four months to go. Let us finish and go in peace.
“We have just a few months left. Why would anybody want to break his head? Some people say Senator Anyanwu is pro-Wike. What does pro-Wike mean? Everybody knows his role in this party. Everybody knows that when it mattered most, he was there for the party.”;
