The National Chairman of the party, Senator Iyorchia Ayu, has revealed the reason presidential candidate of the party, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, picked the governor of Delta state, Ifeanyi Okowa as his running mate over Rivers state governor, Nyesom Wike.
Ayu said Atiku, picked Okowa as his running mate above his Rivers counterpart, Nyesom Wike, because of humility and more excellent performance in office.
The PDP Chairman stated this on Tuesday during the Northern Christian Youth Assembly Summit in Abuja.
He said, “We looked around and we thought we have to give not just a vice president that will assist him (Atiku) but we did our homework to select a man who is highly educated, very humble, and who has done very well as a governor in his home state.
“Okowa is the most qualified running mate. It is on his own personal merit that he was selected by the party as the vice presidential candidate to Atiku Abubakar. I think Nigeria will be very lucky to have two such people who are committed to development who are detribalised who believe in uniting this country.”
He stated this following the crisis rocking the PDP after Wike accused the party of violating the principles of equity, fairness and balance.
The Rivers State made the claim after the emergence of Atiku as the presidential flag bearer.
He pointed out that Iyorchia Ayu, Chairman of the party, and Sen. Walid Jibrin, chairman of the Board of Trustees, BoT, are all from the northern part of the country.
He insisted that Ayu should honorably do the right thing (resign), and allow a southerner become the party’s chairman.