Details of reasons behind the choice of Delta State Governor, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa as Vice President to People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Presidential Candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, have come to light ahead of the 2023 elections.
The Union Nigeria learnt Thursday afternoon from a credible source at the Wadata Plaza, that Rivers State Governor was a viable candidate by every standard; however, certain powerful northern stakeholders were against his candidature.
According to the source, “Delta State Governor, Sen. Ifeanyi Okowa had spent billions of naira on lobbying the Northern power blocs.
Although, there have been wide spread animosity against Governor Nyesom Wike in the north, the power bloc disclosed that they couldn’t trust Wike and can’t work with him.
To back up their position, a security report by the Department of State Security (DSS) indicting Governor Wike with so many allegations on how he destroyed a mosque sometime in 2019 in Port-Harcourt was provided.
Despite coming first in a list of three key recommendations submitted to the main opposition flagbearer, the Rivers governor’s chances were blunted by allegations that he unfairly targeted Muslims in Port Harcourt.
Meanwhile, Wike had strongly denied the allegations, which surfaced that August, saying he had only demolished structures erected without permission from the town planning office.
Another of Wike’s many sins which couldn’t be over looked according to the source was the legal suite against the Federal Government over the issue of Value Added Tax (VAT) which they see as an affront on the North.