Nigerian opposition candidate Abubakar picks 2023 election running mate

Nigeria's main opposition presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar on Thursday picked a governor from the oil producing Delta state as running mate for next year's presidential election.

Nigeria's main opposition presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar on Thursday picked a governor from the oil-producing Delta state as running mate for next year's presidential election. Ifeanyi Arthur Okowa, 62, has been Delta state governor since 2015 and is a veteran of the opposition People's Democratic Party (PDP) party.

Abubakar, a former vice president between 1999-2007, and former Lagos state governor Bola Tinubu, the ruling party candidate, are the leading contenders for the election to succeed President Muhammadu Buhari who steps down next year. The choice points to a strategy by Abubakar, a northern Muslim, to generate support in the largely Christian south.