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PDP Crisis Deepens As Wike Drags Party, Atiku, Tambuwal To Court, Seeks Recognition As Presidential Candidate

PDP Crisis Deepens As Wike Drags Party, Atiku, Tambuwal To Court, Seeks Recognition As Presidential Candidate
August 12, 2022

Tambuwal and Atiku are the third and fourth respondents, respectively. 

Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike has sued the Peoples Democratic Party's presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar; Sokoto State Governor Aminu Tambuwal; and the PDP over the party's presidential primary, which was held in Abuja on May 28 and May 29, 2022.

Wike and a PDP chieftain, Newgent Ekamon, are named as plaintiffs in the FHC/ABJ/CS/782/2022 suit. The PDP is listed as the first respondent in the originating summons, while the Independent National Electoral Commission is listed as the second respondent.

Tambuwal and Atiku are the third and fourth respondents, respectively. 

When candidates for the PDP presidency were asked to address the delegates during the primary, Tambuwal first asked them to support him before coming back to beg them to support Atiku.

Atiku polled 371 votes in the primaries, compared to Wike's 237 and Bukola Saraki's 70.

Iyorchia Ayu, the PDP National Chairman, referred to Tambuwal as the "hero of the convention" after the convention.

Wike and his co-applicant requested the court to rule on eight grounds in the original summons, including whether the PDP's alleged transfer of Tambuwal's votes to Atiku was invalid and unconstitutional.

The plaintiffs requested that the court decide whether Tambuwal lost his right to vote after he resigned in favour of Atiku.

He requested the court to rule on whether Tambuwal "deserved to forfeit his votes having stood down during the primaries."

If these disputes are resolved in their favour, Wike and Ekamon claimed, the court should give nine reliefs, including a ruling that the supposed transfer of Tambuwal's votes to Atiku is unlawful.

The plaintiffs are also asking for a ruling that the PDP committed negligence and bad faith by giving Atiku the votes cast by the governor of Sokoto in the primaries.

They prayed 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.”

The applicants further requested that the court rule that the PDP and Atiku abused the situation created by Tambuwal's withdrawal by allowing the governor of Sokoto to influence delegates to support the former Vice-President in the primary.

Wike and Ekamon requested that the court order INEC to strike Atiku's name off "its list of candidates in the 2023 presidential election" or to reject him outright.

Additionally, they are asking for a court order directing the PDP to recount the votes from the May 28 and May 29 primaries.

Finally, the applicants are asking the court to issue an order "directing 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."

Ekamon stated in a supporting affidavit that he was a member of the PDP and attested to Wike winning the presidential election.

He claimed Tambuwal withdrew from the race after voting began and directed that his votes be assigned to Atiku.

"The third respondent (Tambuwal) speaking twice before stepping down from the contest, persuaded all his delegates who were going to vote for him to vote for the 4th respondent (Atiku).

“The 1st (PDP) and 4th (Atiku) respondents who also wanted the votes desperately agreed with the 3rd (Tambuwal) and assigned 3rd (Tambuwal) respondent's votes to the 4th (Atiku) respondent and increased his votes to win the 2nd applicant (Wike).

“The 2nd applicant (Wike) won the primaries if the votes of the 3rd respondent (Tambuwal) had not been transferred or assigned to the 4th respondent (Atiku).

The court processes were served on the PDP at its Wadata Plaza headquarters in Wuse Zone 5, while a copy was also delivered to Atiku's Maitama campaign office and the Sokoto State Government's Liaison Office by the court bailiff.

Since his defeat in the presidential primary, Wike has been at odds with Atiku and Tambuwal.

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