[Updated] Nigeria 2023: Atiku sued, Wike Listed As Plaintiff in a PDP Presidential Primary Legal Matter

Update: Good People, I have received more info on the alleged Nyesom Wike (governor of Rivers State)  suit challenging Atiku’s ascension as the PDP presidential flagbearer for the 2023 election. Apparently Wike did not file the suit even though he was listed as a plaintiff! The case # is FHC/ABJ/CS/782/2022 filed at the Federal High Court. 

Plaintiff: Nyesom Wike, Newgent Ekamon

Responders:  PDP, INEC, Tambuwal (governor of Sokoto), Atiku

The original confusion was that because he was listed as a plaintiff that it must have originated directly from him. It does appear that he was listed as plaintiff even though he possibly did not originate it. That said, nothing in his denial invalidates the premise since the other plaintiff has not dropped the case. In other words, PDP, Atiku and others have to respond to avoid legal surprises! Yet, I would have expected that this suit is statute barred looking at the time between the primaries and the filing

Comment – Wike has denied filing this case.

My Response: Again, this piece did not say otherwise. He was listed as a plaintiff which 99% of the time will mean he was a party to the case. His denial is irrelevant as the other party is still pursuing it. Why do I say that? If Atiku, PDP, etc do not respond to the court summons and sleep with Wike’s denial statements, the judge will rule against them, and award everything prayed [Wike is the PDP candidate]. If that happens, Wike can benefit by being compelled by the court to become PDP flagbearer. Lol.

Sure, Wike has denied it. But he has to make it official by going to court to withdraw his name. If not, the case will move on.

The governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike, has gone to court to challenge the outcome of PDP’s presidential primaries, making a case that he “won” the contest, Premium Times reports: “Mr Wike seeks, among other prayers, the court’s pronouncement declaring him the PDP’s presidential candidate for the 2023 election. In the suit, Mr Wike sued the PDP, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Atiku, and Governor Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State as defendants.”

When I wrote after that election that Wike would have won if not for the withdrawal of Tambuwal, many here contested that thesis. Today, it seems to be the basis of this suit: “In a supporting affidavit that he deposed, Mr Ekamon, the co-plaintiff, noted that he was a member of the PDP and attested to the fact that Mr Wike won the presidential election. He maintained that Mr Tambuwal withdrew from the contest after voting had commenced and directed that his votes be assigned to Atiku.”

People, if they do not manage this immediately, PDP would be gone. I see no path how PDP will thrive if the two leading figures are fighting in the court. Wike is a pillar in PDP no matter how you see it. Atiku is a known brand. If both are fighting, PDP’s umbrella may be leaking water before the big rain!

The Rivers State governor, Nyesom Wike, has filed a suit at the Federal High Court in Abuja challenging the outcome of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) primary.

It comes as a signal that recent efforts by the party to reconcile him with the party’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has not yielded positive result.

Mr Wike seeks, among other prayers, the court’s pronouncement declaring him the PDP’s presidential candidate for the 2023 election.

In the suit, Mr Wike sued the PDP, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Atiku, and Governor Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State as defendants.

According to court documents, the PDP is listed as the first respondent while Atiku is the 2nd respondent.

Punch newspaper reports that the suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/782/2022, has Mr Wike and a PDP chieftain, Newgent Ekamon, as the plaintiffs.

Update. From ThisDay

From ThisDay: “Rivers State Governor, Mr Nyesom Wike few moments ago (Friday) distanced himself from a purported suit said to have been filed by him seeking the removal of Atiku Abubakar as presidential candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in next year’s general election. This comes few hours after some media outfits had reported that Wike had ordered the removal of PDP flags in Rivers State government house,  which also turned out to be false. In an exclusive chat with THISDAY, the Governor denied knowing anything whatsoever about the purported suit or even knowing the lawyers who filed the suit in the first instance. “I don’t know anything about the so called suit. I did not ask anyone to file any suit for me”.

Comment on LinkedIn Feed

Comment: Wike has debunked this news.

My Response: My understanding is that the newspaper reported a court case, not Wike said “Punch newspaper reports that the suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/782/2022, has Mr Wike and a PDP chieftain, Newgent Ekamon, as the plaintiffs.” Check if that court number is fake. What Wike said is irrelevant. Punch which broke the news which PT picked is reporting from the court filing.

Comment: Good day Sir, i see an update in the newspaper dailies. Read here.

My Response: that did not say the suit # FHC/ABJ/CS/782/2022, is fake. That court case exists. What Wike is saying does not matter because this is a court case. If that was filed without his knowledge, he needs to sue the lawyers who filed them. But “denying” the suit is not good enough.

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