Nysom Wike prosecutes Atiku, Tambuwal, and demands recognition as candidate

Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State has prosecuted the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar; the Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Tambuwal; and therefore the PDP over the conduct of the presidential primary of the party that was held was in Abuja on May 28 and should 29, 2022.

In the suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/782/2022, Wike and a PDP chieftain, Newgent Ekamon, are listed because the plaintiffs. Within the originating summons, the PDP is listed because the first respondent while the Independent National Electoral Commission is that the 2nd respondent. Tambuwal and Atiku are listed because the 3rd and 4th respondents respectively.

During the PDP presidential primary, when aspirants were asked to handle delegates, Tambuwal had asked them to vote for him only to return moments later to ask them to vote for Atiku.

At the first, Atiku polled 371 votes while Wike and Bukola Saraki garnered 237 and 70 votes respectively. After the convention, the National Chairman of the PDP, Iyorchia Ayu, described Tambuwal because the “hero of the convention.”

In the originating summons, Wike and his co-applicant asked the court to work out eight issues including whether the purported transfer of Tambuwal’s votes to Atiku by the PDP was illegal and void.

The plaintiffs asked the court to see if Tambuwal lost his claim to votes the instant he stepped down for Atiku.

He asked the court to work out whether Tambuwal “having stepped down during the primaries should lose his votes.”

Wike and Ekamon argued that ought to these 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.

Kindly share your thoughts on this!