Running Mate: I Didn’t Pick Wike Because he Can’t Deliver – Atiku
POLITICS DIGEST – The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, has reacted to the controversy surrounding the choice of his running mate, and why he did not choose the Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike.
Atiku had against the opinion of majority of party members picked Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State as his running mate.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with Arise TV which was aired on Friday morning, Atiku said he chose Okowa who he felt could deliver among the nominees that were presented to him.
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Atiku said: “Going by history, I picked an Igbo as running mate in 2007, in 2019. I still picked an Igbo as running mate for 2023.”
“Governor Wike was not rejected. Nobody was rejected in the party. But you must understand that it’s the prerogative of the candidate to pick his running mate — a running mate he believes he can work with amicably, and then also deliver the policies of the party, and also try to unify the country,” Atiku said.
“Governor Wike is a brilliant politician. He’s courageous, tenacious. I believe he has a future in the political evolution of this country. It’s not a question of rejection. Certainly not. I think it’s too harsh a word to say that we rejected Governor Wike. Certainly not,” he added.
On the possibility of resolving issues with Wike, Atiku said:
“We are reaching out to Wike and talking to him, very soon, we will resolve our internal crises.
