Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has addressed the reasons behind his decision not to select former Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, as his running mate for the 2023 presidential election.
Recall that Wike lost the Peoples Democratic Party presidential ticket to Atiku in 2023.
Despite expectations that Wike would be chosen as Atiku’s deputy, the former VP opted for Ifeanyi Okowa, the former Governor of Delta State, instead.
This decision is widely believed to have contributed to the ongoing rift between Atiku and Wike, who is now the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory.
In a yet-to-be-aired interview scheduled to broadcast today, Wednesday, on the television show Untold Stories with Adesuwa Giwa-Osagie, Atiku opened up about the controversy.
He recalled how party leaders had criticized him in 2019 for not consulting widely enough before choosing former Anambra State Governor, Peter Obi, as his running mate. “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,’” Atiku shared.
The former VP explained that the committee came up with three recommendations: Ifeanyi Okowa as the first choice, Nyesom Wike as the second, and Udom Emmanuel, the former Governor of Akwa Ibom State, as the third. “So I picked number one,” Atiku noted, emphasizing that his decision not to pick Wike was simply because he was ranked second on the list.
Despite the fallout, Atiku, who has contested the presidency six times, stated that he has no regrets about his choice.
