…Says it will take a miracle for Obi to emerge as next president
By Myke Uzendu, Abuja
The Presidential candidate of Peoples Democratic Party Atiku Abubakar has opened up on why he did not choose Rivers State governor, Nyesom Wike as his running mate ahead of the 2023 general election.
Atiku also predicted that Peter Obi and his Labour party are only popular in the social media adding that majority of Northern voters are illiterates and will cast their votes for him and the PDP.
Atiku who appeared as a guest during the morning Show of a Television Station on Friday said that at no point did he reject Wike as has been insinuated and stressed that he was never recommended by the 37 man committee he constituted to assist him in the choice of a running mate. He said that the committee recommended governors Wike, Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State and Udom Emmanuel of Akwa Ibom state and asked to pick any of them.
“The committee deliberated. But there was no vote and they recommended three names for me to choose because they know it is my prerogative. Ortom chaired the panel and he knows. What Ortom said was inaccurate. There was no record of any vote.”
At the unveiling of his runnnung mate, Atiku had said he chose Okowa because he is someone who understands the challenges the country is facing and is ready to start work from day one.
The former Vice President went further to say that he is not bothered by the growing popularity of Peter Obi who was his running mate in 2019 general election. He said that Labour party has not structures on ground explaining that majority of voters in the North are illiterates and unaware of the social media hype.
He said, “I really don’t expect the Labour Party to take as much votes from the PDP as people are suggesting. We could have seen it in the last election in Osun State. What was the performance of the Labour Party?
“This is a party that doesn’t have a governor, doesn’t have members of the national assembly, doesn’t have members of the state Houses of Assembly. And politics in this country depends on structures you have at those various levels; at the local level, at the state level and at the national level.
“It is very difficult for a miracle to happen, simply because Peter Obi is in the Labour Party.”
On the Muslim-Muslim ticket of APC, the Waziri Adamawa said that the issue has been his major disagreement with Tinubu since his days at the ACN.
He claimed that Tinubu had wanted to be his running mate on the ACN presidential ticket, and he refused because of same faith issue. He acknowledged that his friendship with Tinubu has not been affected by their political affiliations.
“My fundamental disagreement and political departure with Asiwaju [Tinubu] since 2007 was due to the Muslim-Muslim ticket. Remember, I opted out of PDP because of zoning, and together with Asiwaju we formed CAN.
“Tinubu wanted to be my running mate when I was given the ACN presidential ticket in 2007, but I disagreed. And because of that, he switched his support to the late Umar Yaradua. That was the parting point.
“The Muslim-Muslim ticket has always been my fundamental disagreement. Nigeria is a multi-ethnic and multi-religious nation, and there should be a religious balance in our leadership.
“We are still friends, of coursAe. But that doesn’t mean we won’t have political differences. We have been having political differences ever since we became friends. Nothing unusual about that.”
