The Supreme Court of Nigeria has overturned the December 22, 2024, ruling of the Court of Appeal in Enugu, which had removed Senator Samuel Anyanwu as the National Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
In a unanimous decision by a five-member panel led by Justice Uwani Abba-Aji, the apex court ruled on Friday that both the High Court of Enugu State and the Court of Appeal in Enugu lacked jurisdiction to hear the case in the first place.
Delivering the lead judgment, Justice Jamilu Tukur emphasized that the case filed by Emmanuel Aniagwu at the Enugu High Court was centered on internal party affairs—issues that are not justiciable and fall outside the jurisdiction of any court.
The court also ruled that Anyanwu’s candidacy in the last Imo governorship election had been sanctioned by the PDP leadership, dismissing Aniagwu’s claims to the contrary. Additionally, it found that Aniagwu had no legal standing (locus standi) to initiate the suit, as he failed to prove any personal harm caused by Anyanwu’s actions. Justice Tukur described Aniagwu as a “busybody and an interloper.”
The ruling also noted that S.K.E. Ude-Okoye, who would have been the direct beneficiary of Anyanwu’s removal, was not even made a party in the case. The court, therefore, upheld the minority judgment of the Court of Appeal, delivered by Justice Ekanem, which had ruled that the lower court lacked jurisdiction over the matter.
As a result, the Supreme Court struck out Aniagwu’s case, restoring Anyanwu’s position as the PDP National Secretary.
More details to follow…
