Former presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, has revealed that ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo suggested Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Governor Charles Soludo of Anambra State, and former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi as his running mate in the 2019 election.
Atiku explained that despite choosing Obi over the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, he was criticized for not consulting widely before making his decision.
In an interview with Adesuwa Giwa-Osagie, published by Daily Trust on Wednesday, Atiku recounted his conversation with Obasanjo after securing the PDP ticket in Port Harcourt.
“In 2019, after winning the ticket, I went straight to Abeokuta to meet my boss, President Obasanjo. I told him, ‘Mr. President, I have won the ticket.’
“He asked where my running mate would come from, and I said either the South-East or South-West. He advised against the South-West, saying he had already governed from there for eight years, and suggested the South-East. I agreed.
“When I mentioned Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, I pointed out that she wasn’t a PDP member and would likely be rejected. Obasanjo then suggested Soludo, but I explained that he, too, wasn’t in the party.
“He finally asked about Peter Obi, and I confirmed that Obi was a PDP member. That settled it.
“I returned to this very building and met with party leaders, including Uche Secondus, Wike, and Tambuwal, in a morning meeting. I informed them of Obasanjo’s advice and asked if they had any objections. There were about seven of them in the room, and they assured me they had none.
“So, I asked them to announce Obi as my running mate. But later, I was accused of not consulting the party enough.
“In 2023, to avoid similar criticism, I left the decision to the party, asking them to form a committee and recommend three potential running mates for me to choose from,” Atiku added.
