Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has defended his decision not to select Nyesom Wike, the current Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), as his running mate in the 2023 presidential election.
Atiku, who was the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), said he had no regrets over the choice, emphasizing that he followed the party’s recommendation.
In explaining his decision, Atiku recalled that his 2019 selection of Peter Obi as running mate was criticized for lacking broad consultation within the party. To avoid a similar controversy in 2023, he said he allowed the party to take the lead in the selection process.
According to Atiku, the committee submitted a shortlist with then-Delta State Governor Ifeanyi Okowa as the top choice, followed by Wike and then-Akwa Ibom State Governor Udom Emmanuel.
“So I picked number one,” Atiku said, explaining that his decision was purely based on the ranking provided by the committee, with Wike being the second choice.
