Atiku Abubakar, the 2023 PDP Presidential Candidate, has opened up on the reason he jettisoned the choice of the FCT minister and former Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, as his running mate during the last election.
The former vice president said he had earlier set up a committee after several accusations trailed his option of Peter Obi as his running mate in 2019.
The committee, after consultation, submitted the names of three governors: former Delta State Governor Ifeanyi Arthur Okowa (first choice), Wike (second choice), and former Akwa Ibom State Governor Udom Emmanuel (third choice).
“They said I did not consult with the party enough. So in 2023, I threw the whole thing to the party. I said, โOkay, set up a committee and recommend three people for me to pick as running mate.โ So I picked number one.”
Recall that during the election, the People’s Democratic Party had put up a bold face, securing 6,984,520 votes (29.07%). However, it was defeated by the All Progressive Congress candidate who emerged with 8,794,726 votes (36.61%).
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