The Supreme Court has overturned the December 22, 2024, ruling by the Court of Appeal in Enugu, which had removed Senator Samuel Anyanwu as the National Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Delivering judgment on Friday, a five-member panel of the apex court, led by Justice Uwani Abba-Aji, ruled unanimously that both the Enugu State High Court and the Court of Appeal lacked the jurisdiction to hear the case.
In the lead judgment, Justice Jamilu Tukur stated that the suit, filed by Emmanuel Aniagwu at the Enugu High Court, dealt with internal party matters that are non-justiciable and beyond the jurisdiction of any court.
Justice Tukur further ruled that Anyanwu’s participation in the Imo State governorship election as the PDP candidate had been duly approved by the party leadership, dismissing Aniagwu’s claims. He also held that Aniagwu lacked the legal right (locus standi) to file the suit, describing him as a “busybody and an interloper” since he failed to prove any personal injury suffered due to Anyanwu’s actions.
Additionally, the Supreme Court pointed out that S. K. E. Ude-Okoye, the person who stood to benefit from the case, was not included as a party in the suit.
The judgment aligned with the minority ruling of Justice Ekanem at the Court of Appeal, which had previously held that the lower court lacked jurisdiction. Consequently, the Supreme Court struck out Aniagwu’s suit for want of jurisdiction, affirming Anyanwu’s position as PDP’s National Secretary.
