Bola Tinubu, the All Progressives Congress, APC, presidential candidate, has further cleared the air on his running mate, insisting that he has already submitted the name of his running mate to the Independent National Electoral Commission as against the placeholder’s name purported in the media, Tribune is reporting.
The presidential candidate was reacting to remarks by INEC’s Commissioner for Information and Voter Education, Festus Okoye, that the idea of placeholder was not constitutional.
Recall that Tinubu had earlier picked Kabiru Masari as his running mate.
But, there are speculations that Masari was picked in order to beat the INEC deadline for the submission of names of running mates, hence he may still be replaced by the party.
However, speaking through his Media Aide, Tunde Rahman, Tinubu Bola dismissed claims of Masari being a placeholder.
”Without taking issues with the INEC’s National Commissioner, I just like to state the situation as it relates to the presidential candidate of the APC, Asíwájú Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
“And it is that Asíwájú Tinubu has duly completed his nomination forms, including giving the particulars of his running mate. He has returned the completed nomination forms to INEC. He even returned the forms two days ahead of schedule.
“I don’t know about a placeholder. This is the coinage of the media. I know he has picked a running mate.”
Bola Tinubu had emerged winner of the APC presidential ticket.
Tinubu won the ticket after six aspirants stepped down for him while majority of northern governors also showed support for him.
Earlier, a former Niger Delta Minister, Godswill Akpabio, Ibikun Amosun and Ekiti State Governor, Kayode Fayemi and others withdrew from the race to his advantage.
The aspirants urged their delegates to vote for Bola Tinubu.
The convention had been wrapped in controversy over the choice of the party’s candidate.
President Muhammadu Buhari had pleaded with party stakeholders and APC governors to support him in order to pick a successor.
The national leadership of the party had earlier picked senator Ahmad Lawan as a consensus candidate. This led to heated controversy, as the governors upon meeting Buhari insisted that power must be shifted to the south.