Tinubu: I’ve submitted name of my running mate to INEC

Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, Presidential Candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), says he has submitted the name of his running mate for the 2023 Presidential election to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Tinubu stated this in a statement issued on Friday.

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Although the APC Presidential Candidate did not disclose the name of his running mate, he said he had submitted “duly completed nomination forms to INEC”.

The forms are incomplete without the name of the running mate of a presidential candidate.

Daily Trust had reported how Tinubu picked Alhaji Kabir Ibrahim Masari, a Katsina politician, as a placeholder for his running mate so as to meet up with INEC deadline.

Masari, a former National Welfare Secretary of the APC during the era of the Comrade Adams Oshiomhole- led NWC, was nominated pending the conclusion of the consultation on the issue of running of mate by various APC groups.

Sources in the camps of Tinubu and around Masari told this paper that he was nominated as “a dummy running mate.” 

One of them said, “He was picked as a dummy pending the resolution of some issues on the running mate.”

It was further gathered that Masari would withdraw from the race in line with section 31 of the electoral act.

“An agreement has been reached to this effect,” another source said.

In the statement his media office issued on his behalf on Friday, Tinubu said, “As stipulated by the electoral law and Independent National Electoral Commission guidelines and timetable, the standard bearer of the All Progressives Congress, HE Asíwájú Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has returned his duly completed nomination nomination forms to INEC. The forms were returned on Wednesday June 15, two days ahead of schedule.

“We wish to reiterate that HE Asíwájú Tinubu stands ready to contest the February 25, 2023 presidential election to deliver progressive good governance to our people.”