Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta state has issued a statement on his emergence as the running mate of PDP’s 2023 presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar.
Okowa expressed thanks to God for rare privilege of being a vice presidential candidate.
He also called on Nigerians to join hands and support them in 2023.
The statement read; “I thank God for this rare privilege, and I appreciate our flagbearer, His Excellency, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, and other leaders of our party for this great honour.”
“I pledge to join hands with His Excellency, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, the leaders and stakeholders of our party, and all patriotic Nigerians to rescue our country from the precipice.”
Okowa was up against the governor of Rivers state, Nyesom Wike, who was also eyeing the prized seat.
Wike was initially recommended for the position by a 19-man committee setup by the party to oversee the selection process.
The result did not go down well with the leadership of the party who then opted for Okowa.
Speaking at the announcement ceremony on Thursday, Chairman of the party, Iyorchia Ayu revealed that the decision for Okowa was made by Atiku himself after due consultations with all the relevant stakeholders of the party.