Running Mate: Atiku settles for Okowa, to announce decision today 

Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, has reportedly picked Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, Delta State governor as his running mate for the 2023 presidential election.

Party sources said the former vice president will announce Okowa as his running mate on Thursday ahead of Friday’s INEC deadline for the submission of names of party candidates and their running mates.

Atiku and other party leaders are currently meeting at the party’s secretariat in Abuja ahead of the announcement.

Although the party’s national working committee had recommended Nyesom Wike as the first choice, it was gathered that Atiku is uncomfortable with the Rivers State governor as his running mate because he believes the governor does not like him.

Wike worked for Aminu Waziri Tambuwal in the 2019 presidential primary election, though Atiku still won the ticket.

Recall that a 17-man commitee set up to pick a running mate for Atiku had voted for Wike as the party’s choice, followed by Okowa and Emmanuel Udom of Akwa Ibom state.

Wike had scored majority of the votes cast by the members of the committee led by Ambassador Umar Damagun.

The NWC members voted 13-3 to endorse the report of the stakeholders’ panel which had earlier nominated Wike for the VP ticket.