There was drama in the Port Harcourt Division of Court of Appeal on Monday as the National Working Committee, NWC of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP applied to take over the cases filed against opposition parties by the state chapter of the party.

In a letter read out in court, PDP NWC asked Emmanuel Ukala, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria hired by the Rivers chapter of PDP to allow another lawyer identified as Johnson Usman to take over the appeal it filed against the Accord and Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.

Similarly, the PDP NWC also asked Emmanuel Ukala, SAN, to hands off from further representation in an appeal against the All Progressives Congress, APC, National Assembly Candidates by the Rivers chapter of the party.

None of the counsels in court opposed the decision of the decision of PDP NWC.

Therefore, the three-man appeal panel led by Justice Joseph Ikyegh granted the request and adjourned the till 3rd of February 2023 following a request by the new PDP counsel.

Counsel to the Accord, Muhammad Abdullahi expressed the readiness of the party to meet the PDP in Court.

The new counsel of PDP, Johnson Usman confirmed that he has been instructed by the national legal Adviser of PDP to take over the appeals, which is the reason for applying for short, adjourned date.

It was believed that the development was another fallout of the standoff between Governor Nyesom Wike and National Leadership of PDP ahead of the forthcoming elections.

Wike has refused to support Atiku Abubakar, the party’s presidential candidate over continued stay in office of Iyorcha Ayu as the chairman of PDP. The Rivers State Governor is leading five governors of PDP popularly known as G5 who had held back support for presidential ambition of Atiku over continued stay of Ayu in office.

Atiku and Ayu are from the Northern part of the country. But the G5 Governors want Ayu to step down from the chairmanship position for a Southerner in accordance with rotation principle of the party.

AllTheWayUp:
Today is World anti Party day.
Wike thinks he is stubborn.
Ayu led PDP is waiting for Wike announce Tinubu as his candidate.

AllTheWayUp:
Today is World anti Party day.
Wike thinks he is stubborn.
Ayu led PDP is waiting for Wike announce Tinubu as his candidate., then Sekibbo Faction in PDP will support an offer it's structures to Rotimi Amaechi led Rivers APC.
Battle line is drawn in Rivers State

Newmaann:
Wike wey no get joy from the beginning.. nice one from the chairman

2023: PDP and politics of healing Wike’s self-inflicted injury

Then, the race began in earnest for three years now, reaching a frenzy with the works of the two PDP committees on zoning. The first was the Gov Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi committee on the zoning of the PDP party offices. The Ugwuanyi committee quickly told the world the committee’s assignment did not cover zoning the office of the president. Though this was true, the question is: why didn’t the Ugwuanyi committee zone the PDP chairmanship to the North without aligning it to the divide that would produce the PDP presidential flag-bearer? The second committee headed by Gov Samuel Ortom of Benue state was specifically on the zoning of the presidential ticket and, with the votes of the representatives of all the 17 Southern states without any exception, the Committee unanimously recommended throwing open the PDP presidential ticket, which the PDP NEC simply upheld.

One thing irrefutably stands out – Wike shot himself in the leg. Here was a man who had an overarching influence on both committees but could not insist that the ticket be zoned South. Many had wondered why? The reason is also relatively in plain sight: the Southeast factor. As the clamour for zoning of the presidential ticket of the PDP to South reached its crescendo, many had pointed out the fact that though the PDP Constitution had prescribed zoning of the office of the president to be between North and South since the South-west and South-south had taken their turns in producing the president and the vice in this current dispensation in the persons of Olusegun Obasanjo and Goodluck Jonathan, zoning this time around, should not just be to the South but the Southeast.

Atiku Abubakar went a step further by offering to step down from the race if it would be agreed that the touted zoning to the South would mean micro-zoning to the Southeast. Wike and the rest could not take the Atiku challenge maybe because Atiku would likely back Peter Obi, who was his vice-presidential running mate in 2019 and an ally. The prospects of Peter Obi picking the ticket if PDP zoned South was so real compelling Wike to go for an open contest, believing he could pick it up ahead of Atiku, Tambuwal and Bala Mohammed, given his large war chest.

https://www.thecable.ng/2023-pdp-and-politics-of-healing-wikes-self-inflicted-injury/amp

AllTheWayUp:
Today is World anti Party day.
Wike thinks he is stubborn.
Ayu led PDP is waiting for Wike announce Tinubu as his candidate., then Sekibbo Faction in PDP will support an offer it's structures to Rotimi Amaechi led Rivers APC.
Battle line is drawn in Rivers State

Felabrity:
Wike will declare his support for sick Tinubu today, though Tinubu won't win the election or Rivers state. Atiku will.

You saw it here first

Wike is just bitter about his loss of the PDP presidential primary, he has refused to move on
We are still waiting for how he will come on air today and tell Rivers state indigenes to go and vote for Tinubu
It will be the joke of the week
Rivers Indigenes will mock Wike today
Obi will win Rivers
Atiku will come second
Rivers is no go area for Tinubu
Wike can't even secure first or second position for Tinubu in Rivers State