Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has revealed the reasons behind his decision not to choose former Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, as his running mate in the 2023 election.
Wike had lost the PDP presidential ticket to Atiku, who ultimately chose former Delta State Governor, Ifeanyi Okowa, as his running mate instead.
This decision is believed to have sparked tension between Atiku and Wike, who is now serving as the Minister of the FCT.
During an upcoming interview on the show Untold Stories, Atiku discusses how party leaders criticized him for not consulting widely before selecting Peter Obi as his running mate in the 2019 election.
“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.
“No, not at all,” he said.
