Atiku reveals why he didn’t pick Wike as running mate in 2023

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has disclosed the reason behind his decision not to select former Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, as his running mate in the 2023 presidential election.

Wike had contested the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential ticket but lost to Atiku. Many party stakeholders expected that Wike would be chosen as Atiku’s deputy, but instead, former Delta State Governor, Ifeanyi Okowa, was selected.

In a yet-to-be-aired interview for a television show, Untold Stories, with Adesuwa Giwa-Osagie, scheduled for broadcast today, Wednesday, Atiku recalled how party leaders accused him of not consulting widely before picking former Governor of Anambra State, Peter Obi as his running mate in 2019.

“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”, he said.

The former VP noted that the committee submitted three names with Ifeanyi 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,” he said, adding that his decision not to pick Wike was simply because he was the second choice on the list.

However, Atiku, who had run for the presidency a record six times, said he had no regrets about not picking Wike.