By Nneka Ibe
Enugu — The protracted leadership crisis within the Enugu State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has deepened further, even as Barrister Steve Oruruo reaffirmed on Friday that a subsisting court judgment and the clear provisions of the PDP Constitution have already settled the question of who legitimately heads the state chapter of the party. According to him, any new attempt to distort or override that legal position amounts to a direct assault on the rule of law.
Speaking during a well-attended press briefing in Enugu, Oruruo said the recent controversy that arose from the Ibadan Convention—where a motion was moved to dissolve the Enugu State Executive Committee—is not only unconstitutional but directly contradicts an existing judicial pronouncement. He described the move as “a deliberate provocation and an affront to the judicial system,” insisting that no political gathering, no matter how highly placed, has the authority to annul a court judgment through a mere voice vote.
He explained that the purpose of the briefing had become “compelling and pertinent” in view of what he termed the “increasing volume of discordant tunes” emanating from certain quarters of the PDP at both the national and sub-national levels. According to him, some actors have resorted to distorting facts, fabricating narratives, and escalating tension within the Enugu PDP in a bid to create confusion where the law has already provided clarity.
Oruruo revealed that the Enugu State High Court, in Suit No. E/1267/2025, delivered a binding and subsisting judgment which expressly reaffirmed him as the validly recognized State Chairman of the party, alongside Hon. Martins Onyeanwa Ugwuamadi-Eze as the State Secretary. He stressed that this judgment was not ambiguous in any respect, as it was founded on the explicit language of Sections 45(2–4) and 47(6) of the PDP Constitution. These sections, he said, unambiguously state that upon the resignation, removal, or inability of the state chairman to continue in office, the deputy chairman automatically succeeds him.
According to Oruruo, this constitutional provision was triggered when the former state chairman left office, and the court only reaffirmed what the constitution had already stipulated. He disclosed that the judgment was duly transmitted to the PDP National Secretariat and formally received by the office of the then Acting National Chairman, Ambassador Umar Iliya Damagum. Beyond reaffirming his leadership, the court also issued restraining orders barring the National Executive Committee from appointing or recognizing any other persons as chairman or secretary of the party in the state.
He further noted that the order compelled the former occupants of the offices to promptly hand over party property, including sensitive documents and assets, which he confirmed they had done in compliance with the judicial directive. This handover, he said, was further evidence that the legal transition had been fully executed and recognized.
Against this backdrop, Oruruo condemned the move at the Ibadan Convention to dissolve the state executive as “a misguided, prejudiced and fundamentally illegal action.” He faulted the organisers of the convention for allowing such a motion to be entertained while being fully aware of a subsisting court judgment. He also expressed disbelief that the same officials who were purportedly dissolved were accredited and allowed to participate in the convention, including voting on critical issues—an action he said exposed the illogical and inconsistent nature of the motion.
He insisted that the motion carries no legal consequence whatsoever, arguing that any decision that contradicts a valid court order is void from the onset. “Whoever purportedly dissolved the Executive Committee of the Enugu PDP is not only acting outside their powers but is in direct contempt of the judgment of a court of competent jurisdiction,” he said, calling the entire episode “a cruel travesty of justice.”
Reasserting his mandate, Oruruo declared unequivocally: “I am both the de facto and de jure State Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party in Enugu State, and no fairytale concocted in any convention hall can distort this legal reality.” He explained that his leadership is supported not only by the court and the constitution but also by a validly conducted state congress held on August 31, 2024, which produced the existing leadership structure.
He also addressed reports of a self-appointed “state committee” claiming to take over the affairs of the Enugu PDP. Oruruo dismissed the group as “a gathering of questionable elements whose actions stand against all known principles, entrenched values and the vision of the Peoples Democratic Party.” He described their activities as a dangerous trend that undermines internal democracy and warned that such conduct poses “a colossal national liability” if left unchecked.
Issuing a strong warning, Oruruo said that any individual who continues to parade themselves as the chairman or secretary of the party in defiance of the court judgment risks immediate legal consequences. He emphasized that contempt proceedings would be initiated without hesitation against any violators, stressing that the judiciary must be respected to preserve the integrity of democratic institutions.
He urged members of the party in Enugu State to remain vigilant, law-abiding, and loyal to the structures recognized by both the PDP Constitution and the judiciary. According to him, the attempts to destabilize the state chapter will ultimately fail because they lack both legal basis and moral legitimacy.
