The National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Iyorchia Ayu, has said that the “calm, articulate and brilliant” disposition of the Delta State Governor, Ifeanyi Okowa was considered for his selection as the running mate of the party’s presidential candidate for the 2023 general election.
Atiku Abubakar, PDP presidential candidate had chosen Okowa to be his running mate, following his win at the party’s presidential primary last year.
There were speculations that the former vice president would settle for his closet contender, Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State, who came second during the primary.
However, Ayu, who spoke during the inauguration of the Ogheye Floating Market, in Warri North Local Government Area on Wednesday, said Okowa was chosen because the national leadership of the PDP deemed it wise to “reward” Delta State with the vice presidential position.
The national chairman, who has been at the centre of the crisis rocking the PDP, accused the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of taking Nigeria back by 50 years.
According to him, “The destruction that the APC administration has done to this nation has taken us back 50 years. And when we recognised the sterling contributions of Governor Okowa – his character as a calm, articulate and brilliant young man, we, the leadership of the party, felt he should be promoted upstairs, and therefore, he was selected with the approval of our presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar as the next vice president of Nigeria.”
He called on the people of the state to sack APC in the coming elections.
