Wike denies knowledge of suit asking INEC to reject Atiku

Rivers State Governor, Mr Nyesom Wike, on Friday distanced himself from a suit said to have been filed by him asking the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to reject Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, as presidential candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), in the 2023 general election.

This comes few hours after some media outfits had also reported that Wike had ordered the removal of PDP flags in Rivers State Government house.

“I don’t know anything about the so-called suit. I did not ask anyone to file any suit for me,” Wike reportedly told THISDAY, in an exclusive interview.

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.

READ: PDP crisis: Wike asks court to compel INEC to reject Atiku

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 party primary election.

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.

“I don’t know the lawyers,” he stated emphatically, adding, “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”.