In a statement on Sunday, Abubakar said that the first and most important decision that any candidate for an executive position in a democracy must make is the choice of a running mate.
He described the Delta State Governor as “a fine gentleman, but tenacious. His experience as a Senator will come in handy in some of the legislative reforms that are urgently needed to reform our governmental processes. We are incurable optimists in the future of Nigeria and the promises it holds as one united, peaceful and prosperous country.”
Okowa was nominated by the presidential candidate as the former vice president’s running mate on Thursday, after rumours that Rivers State Governor, Nyesome Wike, had been selected by the party advisory committee as the vice presidential candidate the day before.
“The office of the President, in particular, requires that the holder of that office must have clarity of the mind on decision-making.
“That is why in countries that have acquired more experiences in democratic acculturation, the choice that a presidential candidate makes about their running mates, and how they make the decision, provides a window of assessing their preparedness for the job that potentially waits ahead of them.”
The former vice president explained that in making such a great decision he had to be introspective about his choice.
According to him, he and Okowa share a lot of personality attributes in common.
He pointed out that “the months ahead to the general election, together with other great leaders of our party, the Peoples Democratic Party and, with your esteemed support, we shall work very hard to ensure convincing victory for our party.
“A victory for the PDP in the general election is a victory for Nigeria. When we win, Nigeria wins. The stakes in the election are very high, and it gives me tremendous joy that I can count on your support to win the election and get to work in earnest,” Abubakar added.
