By ADEYEMI ADELEYE
LAGOS- Former Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Lagos State, Adedeji Doherty, has described Gov. Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta and running mate to the party’s Presidential Candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, as an asset to Nigeria.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Okowa was on Thursday unveiled by the PDP national leadership as Atiku’s running mate for the 2023 presidential election.
Reacting to Okowa’s emergence, Doherty, a former governorship aspirant, told NAN that Okowa’s choice would be a blessing to the party.
According to him, the influence of Okowa in the South-South and South-East geo-political zones of the country will boost PDP’s electoral fortune from the zones in 2023 general elections.
“Okowa is an asset to Nigeria and asset to PDP. The Okowa’s emergence as running mate to Atiku Abubakar is a very good idea and good decision,” Doherty said.
He described as unfounded reports from some quarters that Gov. Nyesom Wike of Rivers and presidential aspirant, was not comfortable with the choice of Okowa.
He said that the decision of the party’s presidential candidate to choose Okowa as against Wike would not cause any division in the party.
“Gov. Wike is a very strong ally of Okowa, the PDP and Nigeria. Wike had already taken a position by running for the presidential ticket.
“So, the issue of Okowa as running mate had come up months before the primary.
“I think Okowa nomination as running mate was already 80 per cent done by the time the convention came up,” he said.
Doherty, who commended Wike’s political strength, said that the Rivers governor was already aware of the development.
“Wike would be working with PDP, Atiku and Okowa because at the end of the day, when PDP returned to the seat of power; Wike would have a very active role to play in the scheme of things,” he said. (NAN)