2023: Atiku to unveil running mate next week

Barring any last minute change, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) will unveil its presidential candidate for the 2023 general elections on Tuesday or Wednesday next week.

In the aftermath of the PDP presidential primary, attention has shifted to the nomination of a vice presidential candidate with the governors elected on the platform of the opposition party making a strong case for the slot.  The governors, it was gathered, prior to the party’s national convention, had resolved that one of them will be the vice presidential candidate, in the event that any of them did not clinch the presidential ticket.

A top party source at the PDP national Secretariat, Wadata Plaza, told Saturday Sun, yesterday, that the panel set up by the party to shop for a vice presidential candidate is already concluding its assignment.

The panel consists of five members of the National Working Committee (NWC), three members of the Board of Trustees (BoT) and three members of the PDP Governors Forum. The source, who is close to one of the governors that is on the panel, said the committee is likely to complete its assignment this weekend or early next week.

“As you know, the party has set up a committee to shop for a vice presidential candidate. And I can tell you that our vice presidential candidate will be named on Tuesday or Wednesday, next week,” the source stated.

The committee is expected to make its recommendation known to Atiku, before the vice presidential candidate will be unveiled to the public.

Saturday Sun gathered that the panel is currently scruntizing probable running mates for its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar. Multiple sources say one of the key considerations by the panel in arriving at the opposition party’s presidential running mate would be the value the person will add to the PDP presidential ticket for next year’s general elections.

Those currently being considered for the vice presidential candidate include Rivers State governor, Nyesom Wike, Delta State governor, Ifeanyi Okowa and Akwa Ibom governor, Udom Emmanuel.

Another source at the Wadata Plaza told Saturday Sun that the pendulum seems to be swinging towards Wike. He noted that several party leaders are of the view that the Rivers governor performance at the PDP national convention is an indication that he has large followership in the party.

Nevertheless, the source said it is Atiku that will have the final say on the choice of his running mate.

According to him, “What the panel is doing is to guide the presidential candidate in arriving at a decision. You know in the last few days, he has been consulting with various interests groups in the party on the choice of vice presidential candidate.”

Atiku had, in 2019 chose former governor of Anambra State, Peter Obi, as his running mate, regardless of the various interests be projected by party stakeholders at that time.

Regardless, a source close to the PDP presidential candidate said his choice of running mate for next year’s election will be guided by the recommendation of the party. (Saturday Sun)