The Supreme Court has overturned the decisions of the Court of Appeal and the Federal High Court that removed Senator Samuel Anyanwu from his position as National Secretary of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP). A five-member panel of the apex court ruled that the question of who serves as the PDP’s National Secretary is an internal party matter, falling outside the jurisdiction of the courts.

In the lead judgment delivered by Justice Jamilu Tukur, the Supreme Court struck down the trial court’s ruling from October 2024. It also set aside the majority decision of the Court of Appeal, which in December upheld Anyanwu’s removal. Instead, the apex court upheld the minority opinion of the appellate court, delivered by Justice Ekanem, which had invalidated the trial court’s judgment due to lack of jurisdiction.

Additionally, the Supreme Court determined that the plaintiff, Aniagu Emmanuel, who filed the original lawsuit, lacked the legal standing to challenge Anyanwu’s position. The court noted that Emmanuel failed to demonstrate how he was personally affected by the identity of the PDP’s National Secretary, further justifying the dismissal of the case.