Ex-PDP Youth Leader, Sunday Udeh-Okoye, Dumps Party Over Internal Crisis

Sunday Udeh-Okoye, former National Youth Leader of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has officially resigned from the party, citing a loss of direction and moral compass within the organization.

In a resignation letter dated October 13 and addressed to the PDP ward chairman in Agbogugu, Awgu Local Government Area of Enugu State, Udeh-Okoye expressed gratitude for the opportunities he received within the party but lamented the erosion of its founding ideals.

“This decision did not come lightly,” he wrote. “The PDP, which once stood as a beacon of hope for democratic governance, has regrettably lost its moral compass and ideological direction. I can no longer, in good conscience, remain in a system that has strayed from its original purpose.”

Udeh-Okoye’s departure coincides with Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu State’s planned defection to the All Progressives Congress (APC). Udeh-Okoye previously served in the Enugu State House of Assembly from 2011 to 2017 and led the PDP’s youth wing nationally from 2017 to 2021.

Protracted Dispute Over National Secretary Position

Udeh-Okoye’s resignation follows a long-running tussle over the PDP national secretary position. Since 2023, he and Samuel Anyanwu have both claimed the office. In December 2024, the Court of Appeal ruled in favor of Udeh-Okoye, but Anyanwu challenged the ruling at the Supreme Court.

Although the apex court later ruled that the dispute was an internal party matter, the PDP’s National Executive Committee (NEC) affirmed Anyanwu as the national secretary in June 2025. The disagreement had led to threats of mass resignation from PDP members in the South-East, further deepening internal divisions.

With Udeh-Okoye’s exit, political watchers say the party faces another wave of defections and internal instability, particularly in the South-East.