The long-running internal crisis within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) over the National Secretary position has finally come to an end as the South-East PDP unanimously re-nominated Hon. Sunday Udeh-Okoye as the zone’s consensus candidate to replace the former National Secretary, Senator Samuel Anyanwu, as a member of the National Working Committee (NWC).
The highly anticipated South-East Zonal Executive Committee (ZEC) meeting, which held earlier on Wednesday in Enugu State, brought together key stakeholders including Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu State, national and state lawmakers, party executives, former governors, and members of the PDP Board of Trustees (BoT) from the zone.
Presided over by zonal chairman, Chief Ali Odefa, the meeting concluded with a historic communique that reaffirmed Hon. Udeh-Okoye’s candidacy and emphasised unity and party revival as central to the nomination.
“The South-East ZEC exhaustively deliberated on the directive of the NWC and came to the conclusion that it offered a sure pathway to peace, unity, stability, and progress of our party,” the communique read.
“Consequently, the ZEC unanimously recommended Hon. Sunday Udeh-Okoye as the candidate to complete the term of office of the National Secretary.”
The ZEC also called on the PDP National Working Committee (NWC) to uphold its earlier decision from its 600th meeting held on April 29, 2025, allowing the Deputy National Secretary to act in that capacity until the NEC formally ratifies Ude-Okoye’s nomination.
The communique further highlighted the recurring challenge the South-East PDP has faced in filling vacant national party positions compared to other zones.
“It is recalled that the South-East ZEC met in October 2023 and nominated Rt. Hon. Udeh-Okoye to serve out the remaining term. This position was reaffirmed during meetings in February and January. Therefore, we hope that this time around, the position of the South-East PDP is accorded the honour and immediacy it deserves,” the South-East PDP stakeholders said.
The ZEC also issued a warning, stating that failure to respect the zone’s position could force the South-East PDP to reconsider its relationship with the party.
In reaction to the nomination, Spokesperson of the Opposition Lawmakers Coalition, Hon. Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere, commended the swift decision, praising Governor Mbah and the zonal leadership of the party for prioritising party stability.
“This is a good step towards rescuing the PDP from extinction,” Ugochinyere stated.
“I commend the courageous members of the NWC and Acting Secretary Koshoedo for putting the party’s interest above the politics of FCT plots of land.”
He also urged the PDP National Executive Committee (NEC) to immediately ratify the decision to restore focus and rebuild the party ahead of future elections.