The Rivers State Governor, Barr. Nyesom Wike may have lost his bid to become Atiku Abubakar’s running mate in the 2023 general elections as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, Thursday, reportedly settled on the choice of Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State.
According to reports, the former Vice President is expected to formally present Okowa to the public this afternoon (Thursday) in Abuja, the nation’s capital.
A report by Premium Times quoted Atiku Campaign as saying the announcement would be made at noon (12 pm) today and the nominee will thereafter be screened by a committee already empanelled for that purpose.
This follows the conclusion of Wednesday night series of meetings between the candidate and the hierarchy of the party on the issue, as part of plan by the main opposition party to beat the June 17th deadline set by INEC for political parties to submit names of candidates and their running mates.
The Delta State Governor, Ifeanyi Okowa, was as of Thursday morning the final choice of Atiku, reports Premium Times.
“Barring any last-minute change of plans, Mr Okowa would be the nominee to be unveiled this morning,” a reliable campaign insider familiar with the matter told the Newspaper, adding, “But as you know even a minute is a long time in politics.”
A spokesman for Atiku, Paul Ibe, did not immediately comment on the issue. He told newsmen to wait for the formal announcement by his principal and the PDP.
“What I can say is that the candidate (Atiku) is anxious to conclude this process of picking a running mate so we can move to the next stage of kicking out the APC from power. His choice will definitely gladden the hearts of all well-meaning Nigerians,” Ibe said.
The opposition party had set up a vice presidential screening committee headed by Tom Ikimi to recommend some suitable candidates to Atiku.
But despite reports on Tuesday that the committee overwhelmingly recommended Wike, his recommendation did not sit well with many leaders of the party.
The leaders, according to Premium Times, felt that Wike is not suitable for a position that places him a heartbeat away from the presidency.
A number of party chieftains raised concerns about the governor’s temperament, his perceived dictatorial tendencies and his propensity for picking fights even with key allies.
Some also argued that Okowa possessed a better intellectual bent and would bring better value to governance at the federal level if the ticket is eventually elected by Nigerians.
Atiku apparently shared their concerns and turned his attention to Okowa. The Delta state governor supported Atiku in the primary where Wike was his closest challenger.
After his public presentation Thursday morning, Okowa will appear before the screening committee of the party.
Political parties have until Friday (tomorrow) to submit lists of their candidates for the 2023 elections to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
