Atiku Didn’t Consult Widely Before Picking Peter Obi As Running Mate For 2019 Presidential Election, Says PDP National Chairman, Ayu

The national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Iyorchia Ayu, says the party will announce the running mate for Atiku Abubakar, the party’s presidential candidate by Friday.
 
The party’s chairman spoke on Tuesday at a meeting with members of the party’s consultative committee set up to assist Atiku in choosing a running mate.

He said Atiku didn’t consult widely before picking his running mate in the 2019 presidential election, Peter Obi.

Obi’s choice was rejected by some top PDP members, including Ebonyi State governor, Dave Umahi and the PDP later lost the election to President Muhammadu Buhari, who secured the second term in office.

Obi is the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) for the 2023 general elections.

According to him, Atiku’s running mate will be someone Nigerians can relate well with and vote into office.
 
Ayu added that the meeting was in furtherance of consultations aimed at arriving at a choice that Nigerians would be glad to elect into office.
 
He said: “The presidential candidate of our party would have been here, but this morning he suddenly dashed somewhere.
 
“He apologised and if he comes early, he will join us. But we will go ahead with the assignment he has given us.
 
“The candidate wrote to us, as the administrative arm of the party, on the choice of his running mate.
 
“Various organs of the party are well represented in his committee —NWC, Governors Forum, National Assembly, former governors which have put forward their candidate. This deliberation will be chaired by my able Deputy, Ambassador Umaru Damagum.
 
“I wish you a successful deliberation and I hope you come up with a conclusion between tomorrow and Friday.
 
“Our presidential candidate, this time, has decided to carry everybody along unlike 2019 when he didn’t consult widely in his choice of running mate.”
 
The Independent National Electoral Commission had earlier given all political parties till Friday to submit the names of their presidential candidates and their running mates.