The National Working Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party has backed Rivers State Governor, Nyesome Wike, to be the running mate of the party’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar.
According to various reports, the NWC members voted 13-3 to endorse the report of the panel which had earlier nominated Wike for the VP ticket.
The NWC members subsequently communicated their decision to Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the party.
Wike was on Tuesday nominated by the majority of the committee members set up to pick a running mate for Atiku.
Udom Emmanuel, Akwa Ibom governor, and Ifeanyi Okowa, governor of Delta, were also considered by the panel.
The panel — chaired by Umar Damagum, PDP deputy national chairman (north) — comprises former and serving governors, NWC members, and members of the board of trustees (BoT).
Members include David Mark, former senate president; Aminu Tambuwal, governor of Sokoto; Ndudi Elumelu, minority leader of the house of representatives; Samuel Ortom, governor of Benue, and Sule Lamido, former governor of Jigawa.
Iyorchia Ayu, national chairman of the PDP, had said the party will announce Atiku’s running mate within 48 hours.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has fixed June 17 as the deadline for political parties to submit their list of candidates — for president, vice-president, senate and house of representatives — ahead of the 2023 general election.
