PDP raises panel as Wike, Okowa lobby to become Atiku’s vice
It now appears to be a two-horse race between Rivers State governor Nyesom Wike and his Delta State counterpart Ifeanyi Okowa to become running mate to Peoples Democratic Party presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar.
The All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Thursday stepped up moves to choose running mates for their presidential candidates.
The PDP set up a committee comprising its governors, the National Working Committee and the Board of Trustee members as well as former governors with the mandate of picking its vice-presidential candidate.
The committee met on Wednesday and Thursday in Abuja. The PDP spokesman, Debo Ologunagba, confirmed the setting up of the committee to The PUNCH last night.
It was gathered that the Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, and his Delta State counterpart, Ifeanyi Okowa, had intensified lobby of the PDP stakeholders as part of moves to clinch the post.
On his part, the APC presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, on Thursday, began the search for his running mate with a meeting with northern governors.
As Tinubu met northern governors, the Independent National Electoral Commission on Thursday gave parties June 17 deadline to submit the names of their presidential candidates and running mates.
The commission had on May 27 extended the deadline for parties to conduct primaries from June 4 to June 9.
It also fixed June 17 as the deadline for parties to submit lists of their candidates. At the PDP primary held on May 29, former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, who emerged as the presidential candidate, polled 371 votes while his closest challenger, Wike, came second with 237 votes.
On Wednesday, Tinubu defeated aspirants including a former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi and the Vice-President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo.
The PUNCH had on Thursday reported that Atiku met with the PDP governors as part of efforts to pick his running mate. Ologunagba in the interview with The PUNCH, indicated that the PDP would announce its vice-presidential candidate next week.
He, however, declined to reveal the names of those being considered as the running mate.
He said, “Yes, we have set up a committee on the running mate; when it comes out with its decision, it would be announced. We don’t do things by speculations. There is a process, we don’t work without planning. We would follow due process, we consult, that’s what we are doing.
“When we are done with consultations, you would hear the outcome. Whether they met today (Thursday), whether they didn’t meet, that’s not relevant. When they have done their work, you would know the outcome.”
When asked about the names of the committee members, Ologunagba stated, “You don’t need the names. All the organs of our party are represented: the National Working Committee, the Governors Forum, the Board of Trustees, and the Former Governors Forum are all represented. All the organs of the party and relevant stakeholders are involved in the consultations.”
On the efforts to reconcile the aspirants who lost during the primaries, the party said a reconciliation process was ongoing.
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