Atiku Abubakar, presidential candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), has said that he chose Governor Ifeanyi Okowa as his vice presidential candidate for the 2023 election over Governor Nyesom Wike because of his desire to unite Nigeria.
Atiku said this on the Arise TV morning show interview on Friday.
Atiku said that it was the prerogative of the candidate to pick his running mate; one that he believes he can work with amicably and also deliver the policies of the party and also try to unify the country.
“If you can go through history. I was given a ticket in 2007, I picked an Igbo. I was given a ticket in 2019, I picked an Igbo. In 2022, I was given it and I picked an Igbo man again. This is just to show you my desire to unify the country.”
He added that Governor Wike was a brilliant politician, courageous and tenacious.
Atiku further said that his choice of Okowa was not a rejection of Governor Wike.
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He said the committee set up by the party at his instance nominated three names and requested him to exercise his prerogative of choice and he went for an Igbo man in the person of Governor Ifeanyi Okowa.
He also denied that the committee headed by Governor Samuel Ortom to select a running mate voted for Wike. He said that the panel only suggested three names out of which he decided for Okowa.
According to him, “So, it is not a question of rejection. Certainly not. I think it is too harsh a word to say that we rejected the governor. We can certainly not say that,” Atiku said.
When asked the relationship between him and his former boss, Olusegun Obasanjo and if he enjoys his support for 2023, Atiku answered in the affirmative.
“I have been talking to Olusegun Obasanjo, I assume I have his support, I don’t think he has a better partner to support than myself because I have his legacies to continue.”
The Waziri Adamawa also said that the Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate, Peter Obi has no political structure that can guarantee him victory.
He said Obi was expecting miracles and such miracles were difficult to come by.
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