Presidential Primary: Gov Wike Sues Atiku, Tambuwal, INEC

Rivers State governor, Nyesom Wike, has dragged the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, before a Federal High Court in Abuja, over the 2023 presidential ticket of the party.

In the suit, Governor Wike, a PDP chieftain himself and one Michael Ekamon, were listed as plaintiff and co-plauntiff, respectively.

Other defendants in the suit are Governor Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

According to court records, all the processes have been served on all the parties in the matter.

Wike asked the court to determine whether Tambuwal, having stepped down during the PDP presidential primary election ought to lose his votes.

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Wike and Ekamon argued that should the issues be determined in their favour, the court should grant nine reliefs including a declaration that the purported transfer of Tambuwal’s votes to Atiku be declared null and void.

The plaintiffs also seek a declaration that the PDP acted negligently and in bad faith by assigning the Sokoto State governor’s votes to Atiku at the primary election held during a special national convention of the PDP in May, 2022.

They prayed the court to “cancel the transfer of votes and a corresponding order restraining the 3rd respondent (Tambuwal’s) withdrawal in the primary election was done after voting had commenced.”

The applicants also prayed the court to declare that the PDP and Atiku took undue advantage of Tambuwal’s withdrawal when they allowed the Sokoto governor to persuade delegates to vote for the former Vice-President Atiku in the exercise.

Wike and Ekamon asked the court to order INEC to reject or remove Atiku from “its list of candidates in the 2023 presidential election.”

They are also seeking an order commanding the PDP to recount the votes of the primary election that was held on Saturday, May 28 and Sunday, May 29, 2022.