Atiku Reacts as Wike Drags Him, Tambuwal, PDP to Court, Makes Huge Demands
- PDP presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar said he has not been served the court process regarding a lawsuit filed by Governor Wike and another party chieftain, Newgent Ekam
- Wike and Ekam reportedly dragged Atiku, PDP and Governor Tambuwal to court, asking that the Rivers governor be declared the winner of the party's presidential primary
- Meanwhile, the National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Debo Ologunagba, also said he was unaware of the case
Paul Ibe, the spokesman of the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, has reacted to a lawsuit filed against his principal reportedly by Governor Nyesom Wike and a PDP chieftain, Newgent Ekam.
Governor Wike and Ekam reportedly sued Atiku Abubakar, the Sokoto state governor, Aminu Tambuwal, and the PDP over the conduct of the party's presidential primary in Abuja in May 2022.
Source: Facebook
Among other prayers, Wike and Ekamon asked the court to order INEC to reject or remove Atiku from “its list of candidates in the 2023 presidential election.”
They are also seeking an order commanding the PDP to recount the votes of the primary that was held on May 28 and May 29 and declare Wike the winner of the primary.
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It was gathered that the court processes had been served on the PDP at its Wadata Plaza headquarters located at Wuse Zone 5, while a copy had also been delivered to Atiku’s Campaign office in Maitama and the Sokoto State Government’s Liaison Office by the court bailiff.
Atiku's spokesman, PDP react
Speaking on the development, Atiku’s spokesman, Ibe, said his principal had not yet been served and thus could not comment on the matter.
“We are not aware of the case and have not been served. When we are served, we will respond appropriately. However, the response will be done in the proper manner and not through the media,” Ibe said.
Also, the National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Debo Ologunagba, said he was unaware of the case and thus could not comment on it.
“I’m just hearing about this case from you. I have not seen the process and thus cannot comment on it,” he said.
Governor Wike has also not officially issued any statement regarding the lawsuit.
The PDP presidential primary: How the crisis began
At the PDP presidential primary, Atiku, the winner, polled 371 votes while Wike came second with 237 votes.
However, at the convention, Tambuwal, who was also contesting, withdrew from the race and asked his supporters to vote for Atiku, a development which angered Wike.
The Rivers governor alleged that Tambuwal withdrew from the contest after voting had commenced and directed that his votes be assigned to Atiku.
Thus, he and his co-applicant also asked the court to determine whether the purported transfer of Tambuwal’s votes to Atiku by the PDP was illegal and void.
Northern APC senator speaks on why Wike lost PDP presidential ticket to Atiku
Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that the senator representing Sokoto North senatorial district at the National Assembly, Aliyu Wamakko, disagreed with Governor Wike over his assertion that he lost the PDP presidential primary election because of religion.
Wamakko, hosted by Wike, spoke in Port Harcourt on Tuesday, August 9, at the inauguration of one of the Rivers state governor’s projects.
Responding to an earlier remark by Wike on his loss of the PDP presidential ticket, Wamakko, an All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain, pointed out that religion was not a major factor in Nigeria’s national elections.
Source: Legit.ng
