- He urged the court to allow its withdrawal in the interest of justice
- Some defence lawyers opposed a simple withdrawal, arguing that the suit should not have been filed
- the presiding judge dismissed the suit outright and declined all applications for costs
The Federal High Court in Abuja has struck out the fresh suit instituted by a factional National Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Samuel Anyanwu, after he formally applied to withdraw the case.
Eko Hot Blog reports that at Tuesday’s sitting, counsel to Anyanwu, U. C. Njemanze-Aku, informed the court that developments surrounding the matter had rendered the suit unnecessary.
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He urged the court to allow its withdrawal in the interest of justice and to prevent further waste of judicial time.
The legal battle over the position of PDP National Secretary began after Anyanwu vacated the office to contest the 2023 Imo State governorship election, which he eventually lost. His attempt to return to the position triggered internal divisions within the party, with Sunday Udeh-Okoye emerging as a rival claimant.
In December 2024, the Court of Appeal sitting in Enugu affirmed earlier rulings of the Federal High Court that recognised Udeh-Okoye as the party’s authentic National Secretary.
Anyanwu challenged the judgment at the Supreme Court, which in March 2025 overturned the decisions of the lower courts. Despite the apex court’s ruling, the leadership dispute persisted at the PDP national secretariat, with multiple factions asserting control.
Seeking to clarify his position, Anyanwu later approached the Federal High Court in Abuja with a fresh suit, asking the court to enforce his claim to the office.
Although the court granted his request to amend the originating summons in November 2025, it imposed costs on him and scheduled the hearing for January 20, 2026.
However, when the matter came up again on Tuesday, Anyanwu opted to discontinue the case. Some defence lawyers opposed a simple withdrawal, arguing that the suit should not have been filed in the first place and asking the court to award substantial costs against the plaintiff.
In response, Anyanwu’s counsel maintained that the withdrawal was not voluntary but compelled by circumstances, urging the court to allow all parties to bear their own costs.
In his ruling, the presiding judge dismissed the suit outright and declined all applications for costs, noting that the delay and developments were not attributable to any of the parties.
“The matter is hereby dismissed, and no cost is awarded,” the judge ruled, effectively bringing the prolonged court battle to a close.
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