Atiku counters Ortom, says PDP committee didn’t vote on VP candidate

Atiku Abubakar, presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), says the committee set up to recommend a running mate for him did not undertake a voting process.

Abubakar spoke in an interview with Arise TV on Friday.

The PDP has been embroiled in rancour since Atiku picked Ifeanyi Okowa, governor of Delta, as his running mate for the 2023 presidential election.

The selection of Okowa sparked varied reactions in the party as it was believed that Nyesom Wike, governor of Rivers, would be his choice.

There were also reports that most members of the panel set up to recommend a running mate voted for Wike.

Samuel Ortom, governor of Benue, had said 14 out of 17 members of the PDP panel preferred Wike over Okowa.

But on Friday, Abubakar said the committee did not vote — but only made recommendations on the matter.

“The committee that was set up at my own instance deliberated, but there was no vote and they recommended three names because they knew that it was prerogative to pick any one of the three, so there was actually no vote. More so, Ortom himself chaired that committee, he knew that there was a vote taken and I have the report of that committee,” he said.

“And the committee said we are recommending the following and they recommended three people and out of the three people I picked one. I did not go out of that recommendation. So I think they should be fair to me and should also state the fact.

“We are reaching out to Governor Wike and we are talking with him and I believe very soon we will find reconciliation. We are talking to him and talking to his governor’s colleagues. I observe very well the mistake, we are going to resolve our internal crisis and move on.”

Asked if Ortom lied to the public, Abubakar retorted: “What he said was inaccurate, I can give you a copy that was sent to me, there was no voting there, there was no record of any vote, absolutely not.”