The dismissal on Tuesday of a suit filed by Samuel Anyanwu, a key ally of Nyesom Wike, has dealt a fresh blow to the former Rivers State governor’s influence in the protracted crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
At the Federal High Court in Abuja, Justice Mohammed Umar struck out Anyanwu’s case after his own lawyer admitted that his tenure as national secretary expired in December 2025. The court’s ruling, though procedural, carries deep political implications for the balance of power within the opposition party.
The suit sought judicial validation of Anyanwu as PDP national secretary and named the party itself, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), and rival party officials, including Umar Damagun and Sunday Udeh-Okoye, as defendants.
However, the dramatic turning point came when Anyanwu’s counsel, U. C. Njemanze-Aku, told the court that continuing the case would be improper since events had overtaken it. The admission effectively pulled the rug from under the suit, prompting INEC and other defendants to argue that it should never have been filed in the first place.
Justice Umar agreed to dismiss the case but declined to impose costs, noting that the delay and confusion were not attributable to any single party.
Beyond the courtroom technicalities, the ruling underscores a deeper political reality: the Wike-backed faction within the PDP is losing critical legal ground in its bid to dominate the party’s national structure.
Anyanwu’s position as national secretary has long been central to the internal power tussle. Control of the office means control of party administration, correspondence with INEC, and, crucially, influence over primaries and congresses. For Wike, who has been locked in a bitter rivalry with other PDP power blocs, retaining allies in strategic positions has been a core strategy.
The Abuja court’s decision now weakens that strategy by effectively acknowledging that Anyanwu’s tenure has lapsed, regardless of earlier judicial victories.
The PDP secretaryship dispute dates back to Anyanwu’s decision to vacate the office to contest the 2023 Imo governorship election. His defeat triggered attempts to return to the secretariat, setting off factional battles that pitched him against Mr. Udeh-Okoye.
In December 2024, the Court of Appeal in Enugu affirmed rulings removing Anyanwu and recognising Udeh-Okoye as secretary. Although the Supreme Court later overturned those judgments in March 2025, the decision failed to restore lasting peace. Competing factions continued to assert authority, forcing Anyanwu to return to court for further clarification.
That latest effort has now ended abruptly, and unfavorably.
For the PDP, the ruling deepens uncertainty at a time when the party needs cohesion to reposition itself nationally. For Wike, it represents another setback in a series of legal and political reversals that have limited his leverage within the opposition.
While the Supreme Court’s earlier intervention briefly revived Anyanwu’s standing, Tuesday’s dismissal signals that legal victories alone may no longer be enough to secure long-term control. The struggle within the PDP is increasingly shifting from courtrooms to internal political negotiations, and in that arena, the momentum appears to be slipping away from the Wike camp.
