However, when the case came up for hearing, Njemanze‑Aku told the court that the matter had been overtaken by events and should no longer proceed.
The Federal High Court in Abuja has dismissed a suit filed by Samuel Anyanwu, a member of the Nyesom Wike-led faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), seeking recognition as the party’s national secretary.
The presiding judge, Mohammed Umar, delivered the ruling on Tuesday after Anyanwu’s lawyer, U. C. Njemanze‑Aku, informed the court that his client’s tenure as PDP national secretary had expired in December 2025.
In the suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/254/2025, Anyanwu had requested that the court restrain the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and Umar Damagum, PDP chairman at the time, from accepting, acting on, or giving effect to any correspondence from the party not signed by him.
However, when the case came up for hearing, Njemanze‑Aku told the court that the matter had been overtaken by events and should no longer proceed.
“In the interest of justice, I apply to withdraw this matter to save the time of the court,” he said.
Counsel for INEC, Akintayo Balogun, argued that the suit should not have been filed in the first place and asked the court to dismiss it with a cost of N1 million.
M. O. Akpan, representing Damagum, adopted Balogun’s submission.
After hearing arguments from all parties, Judge Umar dismissed the suit without awarding any costs.
“Since you have joined issues, I am going to dismiss this matter. The matter is hereby dismissed,” he ruled.
The position of PDP national secretary had been mired in litigation, with Anyanwu, Sunday Udeh-Okoye, and Setonji Koshoedo all laying claim to the office.
The controversy dates back to December 2025, when a faction of the PDP, backed by Wike, minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), dissolved the national working committee (NWC) and set up a caretaker panel.
Abdulrahman Mohammed was appointed as chairman, with Anyanwu as secretary. The caretaker panel was constituted following the expiration of the tenure of the PDP NWC elected in October 2021.
In contrast, in November, another faction of the party backed by PDP governors, including Bala Mohammed of Bauchi and Seyi Makinde of Oyo, held a convention and elected new NWC members with Kabiru Turaki as chairman.
During the convention, the party expelled Wike and his allies, including former Ekiti State Governor Ayodele Fayose, and party members Anyanwu, Bature, and Ajibade, among others.
The Wike-led group rejected the expulsions and went on to form a parallel NWC, a board of trustees (BoT), and a National Executive Committee (NEC), deepening the leadership dispute within the PDP.