The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party,
Atiku Abubakar, has reacted to the controversy surrounding the choice of his
running mate, Ifeanyi Okowa, and why he did not choose the Governor of Rivers
State, Nyesom Wike.
Atiku had after announcing Okowa as his running mate
clarified that he picked the Delta governor because he (Okowa) had the
qualities to be a President, adding that he “is a President-in-waiting.”
He said, “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.”
Meanwhile, the Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom, had on
June 29, 2022, during an interview on Arise TV, said Wike, and others who
backed the Rivers governor for the PDP vice-presidential ticket slot deserved a
detailed explanation from the party’s presidential candidate on his choice of
running mate.
This was as he also said he had resorted to fast and prayers
to seek God’s direction after the emergence of Okowa as the running mate to
Atiku ahead of Wike.
Ortom said it was surprising that Atiku could jettison the
recommendation of 14 out of 17 members of the committee that recommended Wike
as his running mate.
Ortom said, “But I am waiting for him (Atiku) because there
are more things he is expected to do. I expected him to reach out to Wike who
came second and he denied him the popular view of PDP members. 14 out of 17
members say that Wike should be the VP but in his wisdom, he chose Governor
Okowa. Governor Okowa is a nice man and my friend and I have no problem with
him. But if we are in a democratic era, and 14 people out of 17 said that it
should be Wike, and he (Atiku) in his wisdom gave it to Okowa, I expect more
explanation, I expect him to talk to Wike first, I expect him to even reach out
to some of us so that together we can work as a party.
“But the bottom line for me is that I have gone into
hibernation and I am praying and at the end, whatever God directs me, I can
assure you that I will do it.”
But speaking in an exclusive interview with Arise TV which
was aired Friday morning, Atiku said he chose who he felt could deliver among
the nominees that were presented to him.
He added that Wike was not rejected and that he only picked
who could deliver.
Atiku said, “I didn’t reject Wike, I picked who can deliver.
Wike is brilliant and tenacious. Going by history, I picked an Igbo as running
mate in 2007, in 2019. I still picked an Igbo as running mate for 2023.
“The committee that presented the three nominees was chaired
by 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.”
On the possibility of resolving issues with Wike, Atiku said
the party was talking to Wike.
“We are reaching out to Wike and talking to him, very soon,
we will resolve our internal crises.
“I have contested this presidency a couple of times and I
don’t try to blame anybody, I accept the outcome or go to court,” Atiku said.
Atiku also noted that he was driven by the passion to serve
the country.
“I’m driven by passion and desire to give back to this
country. I’m driven by the passion to give back to this country because of what
the country has done for me.
“With what I have been able to accomplish at my age, I don’t
desire any other thing other than the passion to serve my country.
Speaking on zoning, Atiku said the PDP had never agreed to
zone presidency to the South, noting that there was no concession like that.
“We never zoned to any part of the country,” he said.
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