A former governor of Anambra State, Mr Peter Obi, has described the story doing the rounds that he has been picked as the running mate of Alhaji Atiku Abubakar in the 2019 presidential election as speculation.

Atiku, a former Vice-President, is a presidential aspirant on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party in the 2019 polls.

Obi was Anambra State governor for eight years on the platform of the All Progressives Grand Alliance.

He dumped APGA shortly after he served out his tenure on March 17, 2014

In a press statement by his Special Adviser on Media, Mr Val Obienyem, Obi dissociated himself from the story, describing it as “mere speculation.”

He said,

“When I read the story in the papers and on social media, knowing full well that no presidential candidate has discussed such issue with him (Obi), I exclaimed and said ‘Who is the author of this mischief?’’’

“I immediately brought the news to the attention of my boss who is rounding off his engagements in the UK and the USA.

“He was equally surprised that such speculation should be on at this time when the pre-occupation of all Nigerians should be how to end the killings in parts of the country and return the country back to sanity.”

He enjoined the public to disregard the story while calling on the media to always verify their stories before publication.

Describing the story as the figment of the imagination of the writers, Obi said the preoccupation of “the PDP now is rebranding and producing a formidable presidential standard bearer and not who will be running mate.”