Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has shed light on why he did not choose former Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, as his running mate for the 2023 presidential election.
Atiku, who secured the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) ticket for the election, was widely expected to pick Wike as his deputy.
However, he opted for Ifeanyi Okowa, the former governor of Delta State, a decision that many believe sparked the ongoing rift between the two politicians.
Speaking in an interview on the television show Untold Stories with Adesuwa Giwa-Osagie, which airs today, Atiku explained that he wanted to avoid the criticisms he faced in 2019 when he unilaterally picked Peter Obi as his running mate without wider consultations.
“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 said.
According to him, the PDP committee recommended three candidates—Okowa as the first choice, Wike as the second, and former Akwa Ibom State Governor Udom Emmanuel as the third.
“So I picked number one,” Atiku explained, emphasizing that his decision was strictly based on the committee’s ranking.
Despite the political tension that followed his choice, the former VP, who has contested the presidency six times, stated that he has no regrets about his decision. “No, not at all,” he affirmed.