Who will Atiku Abubakar, former Vice President and PDP presidential nominee pick as his running mate.
Peter Obi, former governor of Anambra state, accomplished businessman and billionaire and respected businessman has been touted as a favourite. Others say Okonjo Iweala.
Obi who has consistently stated that he is not running for president because the position has been zoned to the North by the PDP has, however, been open about his feelings regarding an Abubakar Atiku presidency.
Thisislagos tells you why an Atiku/Obi ticket would be good for Nigeria
- They understand business and economy: Atiku and Obi would be a tag team to beat. They have managed men and resources and made huge successes out of those. Obi is a renowned business man, former chairman of Fidelity bank and many say major importer of all the Heinz products. Atiku on the hand practically owns the Onne port which is the South South’s answer to the Apapa port. His Intels is a behemoth and he was, many agree, despite what transpired afterwards, in charge of Obasanjo’s economic team and architect of the privatization policy via the BPE and NPC
- They are rich, they will not steal: These are two politicians who do not need to sell their cows or take loans to buy their forms. These two have the means. Millionaires in diverse currencies, Atiku and Obi would be more focused on posterity than on the coffers. As Peter Obi said on Channels TV – “If a man has not created wealth, he cannot manage it.”
- Obi is not a spendthrift: Peter Obi was known in Awka as a man who does not know the meaning of the word PROFLIGACY. He worked, he managed resources, he delivered results, he transformed Anambra state.
- Atiku has something to prove: Having been described as corrupt by his former boss, Abubakar Atiku will go all out to dispel that notion. As president, many will expect Atiku to tackle corruption and plug leakages. With his experience as a Customs officer, a businessman and politician, Atiku knows, as they say in the Mafia, where all the bones are buried. It will not be business as usual.
- Ndigbo will be delighted: Very few Nigerian politicians from the North have Atiku’s pan-Nigerian outlook. His choice of Obi as running mate and VP will please Ndigbo who continue to feel excluded from the center. An Atiku/Obi ticket would be a major step in the right direction for Ndigbo.
( Editor’s note: This story has been updated.)