Emmanuel Okoronkwo, aide to ousted Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) National Secretary, Samuel Anyanwu, threatened violence after blocking the gate of the party’s Wadata Plaza national secretariat in Abuja to prevent members of the National Working Committee from gaining access into the complex for a scheduled meeting.

“If they are tired of the party, they need to decamp (sic) to the Social Democratic Party (SDP) because they already have plans to move there but anybody coming here to cause trouble when there is a case in court, they should prepare well from home before they land here (the party’s secretariat),” Mr Okoronkwo said in a viral video. 

Mr Okoronkwo’s comments were reference to the legal tussle between his boss Anyanwu and the PDP following a decision by the party’s South-East zonal executive committee to replace him with Sunday Udeh-Okoye after he became the PDP’s governorship candidate in Imo State during the 2023 election.

Angered by his removal, Mr Anyanwu took the case to court to seek redress. The matter has since moved to the Supreme Court, with the apex court, on Monday, ruling to reserve judgment in the appeal filed by the politician, challenging his removal from office.

Mr Okoronkwo noted that the issue of Mr Anyanwu’s dismissal was still an active court case so the party had no business holding any meeting before the matter was resolved, adding that he and his men were on ground waiting for the arrival of opposition members.The ongoing meeting, presided over by the party’s National Chairman, Umar Damagum, is the first after the apex court denied a motion for stay of execution of a high court ruling replacing Mr Anyanwu with Udeh-Okoye