KEY POINTS
- A Federal High Court in Abuja dismissed Samuel Anyanwu’s suit seeking recognition as PDP national secretary.
- Anyanwu’s lawyer told the court his tenure expired in December 2025, making the case irrelevant.
- The judge dismissed the suit without awarding costs, despite objections from INEC and PDP counsel.
A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja on Tuesday dismissed a suit filed by Samuel Anyanwu seeking to be recognised as the National Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party.
Justice Mohammed Umar struck out the case after Anyanwu’s lawyer informed the court that his client’s tenure in office had expired, effectively ending the legal battle over the party position.
The suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/254/2025, was filed against the Independent National Electoral Commission and Umar Damagum, who was the acting national chairman of the PDP at the time.
Claim overtaken by events
Anyanwu had asked the court to restrain INEC and the PDP leadership from accepting or acting on any correspondence from the party that was not signed by him as national secretary.
When the matter was called for hearing, his counsel, U. C. Njemanze Aku, told the court that developments within the party had rendered the case academic.
He said his client’s tenure as national secretary ended in December 2025 and urged the court to allow the suit to be withdrawn in the interest of justice and judicial efficiency.
