PDP: I’m Enugu authentic chairman, not a stooge — Oruruo

By Dennis Agbo

Mr. Steve Oruruo has reaffirmed his position as the authentic and lawful Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Enugu State.

Oruruo stated that he does not belong to any faction of the party at either the national or state level, insisting that he is not a stooge for anyone but emerged in line with the party’s constitution following the movement of some state leaders to other political parties.

He cited a court judgment which, according to him, barred the national leadership of the PDP from recognizing any other leadership structure in Enugu State aside from his, and also directed the former state leadership to hand over to him.

Speaking on his restoration as state chairman after the PDP National Convention in Ibadan, Oruruo referenced Suit No. E/1267/2025 of the Enugu State High Court, which he said affirmed his leadership.

According to him, the court declared the dissolution of his Executive Committee “null and void” and confirmed him as the bona fide Chairman of the PDP in Enugu State. He said this judgment ended the controversy over who leads the party in the state.

Speaking with journalists on Friday, Oruruo noted that the subsisting court judgment and the clear provisions of the PDP Constitution had already settled the leadership question.

He stressed that the motion reportedly moved at the Ibadan Convention to dissolve the Enugu State Executive Committee contradicted an existing court order and therefore held no legal weight.

Oruruo said the clarification had become necessary due to “discordant tunes” within the party’s leadership at both national and state levels.

He explained that the court decision was anchored on Sections 45(2–4) and 47(6) of the PDP Constitution, which provide that when a state chairman resigns or is removed, the deputy chairman automatically assumes office.

He stated that the Federal High Court order was duly served on the PDP National Secretariat through the office of the immediate past Acting National Chairman, Ambassador Umar Iliya Damagum.

“This order compelling the National Executive Committee of the party to immediately recognize my constitutional right and that of the secretary was duly served,” he said.

He added that the same order restrained the National Executive Committee from appointing any other persons as chairman or secretary and directed former officeholders to hand over party records and property — a directive he said was complied with.

Oruruo described the motion at the Ibadan Convention as inconsistent with the court judgment, pointing out that the same officials alleged to have been dissolved were accredited and allowed to vote during the convention.

He insisted that any action contrary to the court order was void, as it violated both judicial instructions and explicit constitutional provisions governing leadership succession.

Reaffirming his position, Oruruo declared: “Make no mistake about this: I am both the de facto and de jure Chairman of the Enugu State PDP, and no narrative can alter this fact.”

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