Wike Disowns Suit Against Atiku’s Candidacy

Nyesom Wike, the governor of Rivers State, recently dissociated himself from a widely reported lawsuit that he allegedly filed to have Atiku Abubakar removed as the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate in the general election of next year.

This comes just after certain media outlets claimed that Wike had ordered the removal of PDP flags from the Rivers State government building.

The governor denied knowing anything about the alleged lawsuit or even knowing the attorneys who initially filed it.

“I have no knowledge of the alleged litigation. I didn’t ask anyone to bring a lawsuit on my behalf,” he said.

The media was on Friday morning awash with reports that Governor Wike and one Chieftain of the PDP, Mr Newgent Ekamon, had dragged the PDP to court seeking the removal of Atiku as Candidate of the PDP in next year’s presidential polls.

According to the purported suit marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/782/2022, the plaintiffs were said to have hinged their claims on the grounds that the PDP primary conferred undue advantage on Atiku which aided his emergence as candidate of the PDP in the May 28 and 29 primary.

Reacting to the publication, Wike flatly denied the suit said to have been filed at the Federal High Court, Abuja. He described the suit as the handiwork of mischief makers who merely want to use him to score cheap political goals.

He stated emphatically: “I don’t know the lawyers”. Continuing, he added: “Am I a kid to be filing a suit at this time. I had 14 days after the primary within which to have filed any suit. I didn’t do that then, is it two months after primary I will file a suit?”

He also recalled that: “Just yesterday they came up with the claim that I ordered my Chief Security Officer to pull down PDP flag in Government House. This is all false, it’s all propaganda. Some people are trying to use me to win the election. Please disregard all these lies.”