Adedokun Waliyu 
As the major opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) finalises on the running mate to its presidential candidate, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, today, the party may be considering picking a sitting governor for the Vice President slot ahead of the 2023 presidential election.
After clinching the ticket, Atiku was expected to nominate a running mate who will be acceptable to all segments of the party, one with the capacity to mobilise resources and sell the party in regions where he has influence.
Since the presidential convention of May 28, 2022, many had expected that naming a running mate would be as easy as walking into a grocery and picking items off the shelf so long as cash is in the pocket, but it has proved daunting for the party and its candidate, just as it is with other parties because of what is invested in the process to get it right.
While the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) is walking on tenterhooks over the delicate prospect of a Muslim-Muslim ticket amid the avalanche of opposition to the move, in the PDP, a source close to the process told The Guardian that the choice is narrowing to serving governors in the Southeast and South-South regions.
The party has nine governors in the South: Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, Godwin Obaseki (Edo), Ifeanyi Okowa (Delta), Udom Emmanuel (Akwa Ibom), Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (Enugu), Nyesom Wike (Rivers), Douye Diri (Bayelsa), Udom Emmanuel (Akwa Ibom) and Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia.
