Atiku: I Picked Running mate I can Work With, VP Candidate Who Can be President-in-Waiting

Presidential Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, former President Vice President Atiku Abubakar, has justified his choice of Delta Governor Ifeanyi Okowa as running mate, saying he chose a vice presidential candidate that he could work with and who will be ready to be succeed him as President.

Speaking in an exclusive interview on The Morning Show, Arise TV, Friday, Atiku said he consulted widely before making his choice, adding: “In arriving at the decision, I held wide consultations with various stakeholders in our party including our governors, the national working committee, board of trustees, and other leaders to seek their inputs and their wisdom.”

“In these consultations, I made clear that my running mate would have the potential to succeed me at a moment’s notice, that is, a president-in-waiting.

“In other words, the person must have the qualities to be President. The person must have an appreciation of the deep rot which our country has been put into by the rudderless All Progressives Congress government; understands the great suffering that most of our people are going through and the urgency of relieving them of that suffering; understands the critical importance of economic growth and development to provide our young people with jobs, hope, and a pathway to wealth.”
 
Atiku also dispelled insinuations on why he did not pick Governor of Rivers State Nyesom Wike, adding that he was presented three nominees by Governor Samuel Ortom led committee on vice presidential candidate and was at liberty to pick any of them.

He said: “I didn’t reject Wike. I picked who can deliver. Wike is brilliant and tenacious . Going by history, I had picked an Igbo as running mate in 2007, in 2019.  I still picked an Igbo for 2023.

“The committee that presented the three nominees was chaired the Governor of Benue State, Samuel Ortom. They  recommended three people, so I picked one. People should be fair to me and state the facts.”

Admitting that some members were not happy with his vice presidential candidate pick, particularly Wike, Atiku said, “We are reaching out to Wike and talking to him, very soon, we will resolve our internal crises.”

Details later…