Tambuwal and Atiku are listed as the 3rd and 4th respondents respectively while Wike and Ekamon are listed as the plaintiffs.
Nigerians have taken to social media to react after Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State filed a law suit against the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the party’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar and Governor Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State.
In the suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/782/2022, Wike dragged the respondents to court over the conduct of the presidential primary that was held in Abuja on May 28 and May 29, 2022.
He filed the suit alongside a PDP chieftain, Newgent Ekamon, and listed PDP 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.
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. The plaintiffs also 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 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 PDP to declare Wike as the winner of the aforesaid primary with a corresponding order directing the PDP to forward his name as the candidate to contest the presidential election in 2023.
However, some Nigerians have taken to the micro-blogging platform, Twitter to react to the latest development in the main opposition party.
Below are some of the reactions:
@jrnaib2 wrote: “Wike sues Atiku and Tambuwal, asks Court to declare him PDP Presidential Candidate. It’s fine to sue Atiku but why include Tambuwal for God-sake?”
@AtoriTimothy wrote: “Matter they would have solved since, they were busy going up and down, trying to create factions and disunity instead of uniting and reconciling all. God bless and unite Nigeria.”
@feranmi_Vin wrote: ‘Wike really deserve it cos when the Party dey sink na Wike finance the party and baba ATIKU dey Dubai dey chop life.”
@bowman15273365 wrote: “Atiku was incontinent to say he can win without wike, he forgets that Wike knows the PDP primary was flawed and will have let go if given proper respect and rehabilitation but no Atiku wants to retire him maybe he thinks it’s southeast, party Don scatter.”
@dipoaina1 wrote: “Mr Wike filed the lawsuit alongside another PDP member Michael Ekamon, according to filings entered before the Abuja Division of the Federal High Court. The applicants also joined the PDP, Governor Aminu Tambuwal. Where’s Atiku oo? the Unifier.”
@ChidiebereNwani wrote: “Wike drags Atiku and Tambuwal to court, demands to be recognized as candidate. Let there be WAR!!!”
@gloriousabel wrote: “Wike sues Atiku, PDP, Tambuwal to court. Chris Finebone of APC defects to PDP in Rivers State. This is becoming interesting.”