The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) South-East zone has reaffirmed its nomination of Hon. SKE Ude-Okoye as the party's National Secretary, intensifying the ongoing leadership crisis within Nigeria's main opposition party.

The decision was reached during a Zonal Executive Committee (ZEC) meeting held in Enugu on Wednesday, May 14, 2025, where regional party leaders unanimously backed Ude-Okoye to fill the contested position.

The South-East PDP has expressed hope that the party's National Working Committee (NWC) will "accord his nomination the honour and the immediacy it deserves" to resolve the prolonged dispute over the position.

The position of National Secretary has been a contentious issue within the party, with Senator Samuel Anyanwu and Ude-Okoye both claiming legitimacy to the role. The NWC had previously appointed Mr. Setonji Koshoedo as Acting National Secretary amid the dispute.

According to the communiqué signed by Chief Ali Odefa, PDP South-East Zonal Chairman, the Supreme Court had on March 21, 2025, ruled that leadership issues within political parties are internal affairs that neither the courts nor INEC should interfere with.

Following this ruling, the PDP Governors' Forum recommended that the South-East zone should nominate a candidate to complete the remaining tenure of the National Secretary position zoned to the region. The NWC subsequently directed the South-East ZEC to make this nomination during its 600th meeting on April 29, 2025.

"The South East ZEC exhaustively deliberated on the directive of the NWC and came to the conclusion that it offered a sure pathway to peace, unity, stability, and progress of our party," the communiqué stated.

The South-East ZEC also urged the NWC to ensure that the Deputy National Secretary functions as Acting National Secretary pending the ratification of their nominee by the National Executive Committee (NEC).

The zone expressed frustration that it has had to repeatedly go through this nomination process, noting that this was not the case for other zones when filling vacant national offices. The communiqué highlighted that the South-East ZEC had previously nominated Ude-Okoye in October 2023 and reaffirmed this position in meetings held on February 20, 2024, and January 25, 2025.

Emphasizing the region's loyalty to the PDP, the South-East ZEC pointed to recent political gains in Enugu State, where the party has attracted defectors from the Labour Party, including its former governorship candidate and two House of Representatives members. The statement also noted that PDP seats in the Enugu State House of Assembly have increased from 10 to 20.

The communiqué concluded with what appears to be a veiled warning: "However, in the event that our position is not promptly implemented by the Party, the South East PDP, as a family, will be compelled to reconsider our relationship with the PDP going forward."

This development comes at a critical time for the PDP, which has been struggling to maintain unity following its defeat in the 2023 general elections and subsequent defections of key members to other political parties.