2023: Atiku, Tambuwal Sued By Governor Wike

Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike has sued the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, the Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Tambuwal and the PDP over the primary election conducted by the party.

According to a Punch report, the plaintiffs in the suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/782/2022 are Wike and a PDP chieftain, Newgent Ekamon. 

The PDP is listed as the first respondent in the originating summons while the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is the second respondent.

Atiku and Governor Tambuwal are listed as the third and fourth respondents respectively.

In the presidential primary election, Tambuwal had reportedly asked delegates to vote for him and then had made a U-turn to request that they vote for Atiku.

Atiku had ended up polling 371 votes while Wike and Bukola Saraki got 237 and 70 votes respectively.

Tambuwal had been hailed as the "hero of the convention" by the National Chairman of the PDP, Iyorchia Ayu.

Now, Governor Wike and his co-applicant are asking the court to determine eight issues including whether the purported transfer of Tambuwal’s votes to Atiku by the PDP was illegal and void.

The court is being asked by the plaintiffs to determine if Tambuwal lost his claim to votes the moment he stepped down for Atiku.

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

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

Furthermore, they seek an order of the court “directing the 1st respondent (PDP) to declare the 2nd applicant (Wike), a presidential aspirant in the May 28 and May 29 primary as the winner of the aforesaid primary with a corresponding order directing the 1st respondent (PDP) to forward his name as the candidate to contest the presidential election in 2023.”