In his remarks, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar said he has no regrets about his choice to run against Nyesom Wike, the current Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), in the 2023 election.
In an interview that will appear today on the television program Untold Stories with Adesuwa Giwa-Osagie, which Daily Trust was able to get, Atiku addressed issues about the leadership crisis in the PDP that followed his selection.
Wike launched a mutiny within the PDP with five other governors, and many analysts conjectured that Atiku’s defeat in the election was influenced by the choice to ignore him. Later, Wike boasted of giving President Bola Tinubu Rivers State and working against Atiku.
To the question of whether he regretted not choosing Wike, Atiku firmly said, “No, not at all.”
Recalling the backlash he received in 2019 for reportedly not consulting many people when choosing Peter Obi as his running partner, Atiku clarified that his choice was based on the procedure used inside the party.
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo recommended Atiku to choose a running mate from the South-East rather than the South-West after he secured the PDP ticket in Port Harcourt, Atiku revealed.
According to Atiku, Obasanjo recommended well-known individuals outside the PDP, including as Charles Soludo and Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.
Obasanjo also recommended party member Peter Obi, who was ultimately selected by Atiku. Following discussions with governors and party leaders, such as Wike and Aminu Tambuwal, Atiku received assurances that there were no problems to Obi being selected as his running mate. He later came under fire for not consulting the party sufficiently, though.
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Atiku said that in 2023, he asked the party to form a committee to suggest three potential running mates in order to increase their participation in the selection process.
Ifeanyi Okowa was the first name the committee recommended, followed by Wike and Udom Emmanuel, according to Atiku.
Atiku explained that he chose Okowa, the first candidate on the list, instead of Wike because the latter was the second choice.
