Wike distances self from suit seeking to disqualify Atiku as PDP presidential candidate

Nyesom Wike, governor of Rivers, has reportedly disowned a suit seeking the disqualification of Atiku Abubakar as the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Supporters of Wike had taken Atiku, Aminu Tambuwal, governor of Sokoto, and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to court over the conduct of the PDP presidential primary election which took place in May.

In a suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/782/2022, Newgent Ekamon and other plaintiffs asked a federal high court in Abuja to order INEC to remove Atiku from “its list of candidates in the 2023 presidential election”.

The plaintiffs asked the court to direct “the first respondent (PDP) to declare the second 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 first respondent (PDP) to forward his name as the candidate to contest the presidential election in 2023”.

Wike lost the party’s presidential ticket to Atiku after Tambuwal stepped down for the former vice-president and asked his supporters to vote for him.

While the former vice-president secured 371 votes to become PDP’s standard bearer, Wike secured 237 votes to come second.

The outcome of the primary election caused division within the PDP.

Speaking in an interview with THISDAY on Friday, Wike said he did not authorise anyone to file a suit on his behalf.

“I don’t know anything about the so-called suit. I did not ask anyone to file any suit for me,” the governor was quoted as saying.

“I don’t know the lawyers. Am I a kid to be filing a suit at this time? I had 14 days after the primary within which to have filed any suit. I didn’t do that then, is it two months after primary I will file a suit?

“Just yesterday they came up with the claim that I ordered my chief security officer to pull down the PDP flag in government house. This is all false, it’s all propaganda. Some people are trying to use me to win the election. Please disregard all these lies.”