2023: PDP Reconcilliation Suffers Major Set Back As Wike Drags Atiku, Tambuwal To Court

The internal crisis in the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, does not seem to be ending anytime soon as Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike has sued the party’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, Aminu Tambuwal; and the party over the conduct of the presidential primary that was held was in Abuja on May 28 and May 29, 2022.

Wike filed the suit alongside a PDP chieftain, Newgent Ekamon.

In the suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/782/2022, the PDP is listed as the first respondent while the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, is the 2nd respondent. Tambuwal and Atiku are listed as the 3rd and 4th respondents respectively while Wike and Ekamon are listed as the plaintiffs.

Naija News reports that during the PDP presidential primary, Tambuwal, while addressing the delegates had appealed for their votes but returned later to ask that they vote for Atiku.

At the primary, Atiku polled 371 votes while Wike and Bukola Saraki garnered 237 and 70 votes respectively.

In the suit, the plaintiffs are asking the court to determine eight issues which include whether the purported transfer of Tambuwal’s votes to Atiku by the PDP was illegal and void.

They prayed the court to decide if Tambuwal lost his claim to votes the moment he stepped down for Atiku.

He asked the court to determine whether Tambuwal “having stepped down during the primaries ought to lose his votes.”

Wike and Ekamon insisted that should 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.

They also sought a declaration PDP acted negligently and in bad faith by assigning the Sokoto Governor’s votes to Atiku at the primary.

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.”

They subsequently demanded that the court order INEC to reject or remove Atiku from “its list of candidates in the 2023 presidential election,” while also insisting that the votes of the primary that was held on May 28 and May 29 be recounted.

The applicants are also seeking 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.”