The Rivers State Governor and first runner-up at the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) presidential primaries, Nyesom Wike has on Friday allegedly sued Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the PDP and Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Tambuwal.
What’s more?
Governor Nyesom Wike according to unconfirmed sources is seeking to be named the winner of the PDP presidential primaries through the suit, which is yet to be assigned to a judge at the time of this report. The suit therefore registers Gov Nyesom Wike and Newgent Ekamon as the plaintiffs, while the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the People’s Democratic Party, Atiku and Tambuwal are the respondents.
Background to the story
Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State was the first runner-up in the presidential primaries of the PDP with 237 votes. The governor participated in the party’s presidential election at a time when talks were intensifying about the possibility of power returning to the southern region of the country after almost a decade of northern rule.
- Nigerian political analysts believe that Gov Wike would have clinched PDP’s presidential ticket if not for the last-minute withdrawal of Gov Aminu Tambuwal, who then declared support for eventual winner, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.
- Gov Wike again lost a potential running mate ticket to Senator Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State after being rumored to be the party’s first choice.
What Wike wants the court to consider
In the suit reportedly submitted by the plaintiff, they argued that Gov Wike would have won the election if Sokoto State Governor didn’t step down. Therefore, the plaintiff sought the court to determine the following:
“Whether Tambuwal, having stepped down during the primaries ought to lose his votes”.
“A declaration that the purported transfer of Tambuwal’s votes to Atiku be declared null and void.
“A declaration that the PDP acted negligently and in bad faith by assigning Tambuwal’s votes to Atiku at the primaries”.
They also want the court to order INEC to remove Alhaji Atiku Abubakar from “its list of candidates in the 2023 presidential election”.
What to watch
Would Gov Wike win the suit months after the party’s presidential election? If he does, would the court give a verdict on the case before INEC releases its final list of nominated candidates for the presidential elections in September 2022?