Olaolu Oladipo 
The embattled National Secretary of the main opposition People’s Democratic Party, PDP, Senator Samuel Anyanwu, has maintained that his appearance at the party’s secretariat in Abuja was lawful.
This is coming just as he also maintained that only the law courts have the capacity to resolve the lingering logjam within the party.
Anyanwu made this known in a telephone chat with Saturday Telegraph on Friday in the aftermath of Thursday’s appearance of the former federal lawmaker at the party’s national secretariat despite a Court of Appeal judgment affirming Sunday Ude-Okoye as his replacement.
Anyanwu is currently having a running battle with Ude-Okoye who has continued to enjoy the support of relevant organs of the PDP who have so far thrown their weight behind him.
Ude-Okoye had on December 20, secured a victory at Court, which affirmed him as the national scribe of the party.
Two other organs namely the party’s Board of Trustees and Governors Forum took turns to ratify the judgment of the appellate court.
Ude-Okoye was also endorsed by the National Working Committee of the party at its meeting on Wednesday.
Despite this, Anyanwu on Thursday was at his desk prompting many to wonder why he took the decision but in a telephone chat with our correspondent, he insisted that he acted legally and that he had not done anything against the law.
According to the Imo-born politician, the logjam within the party can only be resolved by the law courts and not any other institution within and outside the PDP.
When asked about his appearance, he said, “I went to work to resume duties.”
When pressed further on the legality of his action he said, “You know what goes on in the party. The Governors’ Forum and the BoT are no organs of the party.
“As I speak to you now, the matter is in court and we have to wait for the outcome of the court processes. I have a stay of execution with me.”
Anyanwu blamed the governors on the platform of the party for the lingering logjam, saying they failed to take into cognisance the need to maintain the rule of law as it affects the party.
“They (PDP Governors) know the truth of the matter but what they are trying to do is to interpret the maintenance of the status quo ante in the manner that suits them.
According to him, the Appeal Court gave an order for the maintenance of status quo ante, stating that nothing should be done by the parties to the suit until the determination of the substantive suit.
Anyanwu also faulted the legal advice of the National Legal Officer of the party, Mr. Kamaldeen Ajibade, recognising Udo-Okoye. He said it was mere advisory with no legal effect.
“I know that he (National Legal Officer) said that he has given them a legal opinion. Well, anyone can have any form of opinion about certain things or people with another person having a different kind of opinion on the same issue but what is certain is that it’s not legally binding,” Anyanwu said.
When contacted on the issue, the National Publicity of the party, Mr. Debo Ologunagba, told our correspondent that the PDP National Working Committee has taken a decision on the matter a few days ago and that nothing has changed since then.
“You are aware that I issued a statement a few days ago after the meeting of the National Working Committee affirming Udo-Okoye. That somebody somewhere is saying something else somewhere is immaterial. All I can tell you today is that nothing has changed since then,” Ololgunagba said.
