Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar may face fresh backlash as official documents from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) appear to contradict his stated reasons for selecting ex-Delta State Governor, Ifeanyi Okowa, as his running mate in the 2023 election.
Atiku had bypassed Nyesom Wike, then Rivers State governor and now FCT Minister, in favour of Okowa, a decision he said he made based on the arrangement on the list of aspirants screened by the party for his selection.
Atiku in an interview recalled how party leaders accused him of not consulting widely before picking former Governor of Anambra State, Peter Obi as his running mate in 2019.
“They said I did not consult with the party enough. So in 2023, I threw the whole thing to the party. I said, ‘Okay, set up a committee and recommend three people for me to pick as a running mate”, he said.
former VP noted that the committee submitted three names with Ifeanyi Okowa as the first choice, Wike as the second, and former Akwa Ibom State Governor, Udom Emmanuel as the third.
“So I picked number one,” he said, adding that his decision not to pick Wike was simply because he was the second choice on the list.
However, Atiku, who had run for the presidency a record six times, said he had no regrets about not picking Wike.
On the contrary, the committee’s report and recommendations reveal that Wike’s name topped the list—contrary to Atiku’s claims in the interview.
Discussion about this post