PDP presidential candidate, Atiku, chooses running mate

Atiku Abubakar, the PDP's presidential candidate for the 2023 election, concluded a series of meetings on his election for vice president late Wednesday night. The Peoples' Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, will present his election as a career candidate to the public in Abuja this afternoon. Those close to his campaign said the announcement will be made at noon and the candidate will then be reviewed by a committee already set up for the purpose. This follows the conclusion of a series of meetings between the candidate and the party hierarchy on the issue on Wednesday night.

According to PREMIUM TIMES, Delta State Governor Ifeanyi Okowa was Atiku's final choice Thursday morning. Paul Ibe, a spokesman for the Atiku Media Office, declined to comment on the identity of the vice-presidential nominee. "What I can say is that the candidate (Atiku) is keen to complete this process of selecting a competitor so that we can move on to the next phase where we unseat the APC. His election will definitely delight the hearts of all well-meaning Nigerians.” The party set up a committee to suggest some candidates to the former vice president. However, despite Tuesday reports that the committee overwhelmingly recommended Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike, his recommendation did not go down well with many party leaders.

Leaders felt Mr Wike was unfit for a position that places him just a heartbeat away from the presidency. Several party leaders have expressed concern about the governor's temperament, his perceived dictatorial tendencies and his propensity to pick fights even with key allies. Some also argued that Mr. Okowa possessed better intellectual inclination and would bring better value to federal government governance if the ticket were eventually voted by Nigerians. Mr. Okowa supported Atiku in the primary, where Mr. Wike was his closest challenger. Following his public presentation Thursday morning, Mr. Okowa will appear before a party review committee. Political parties have until Friday (tomorrow) to submit lists of their candidates for the 2023 elections to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

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