Damilola Aina, Abuja
Daily Courier – The presidential flagbearer of the All Progressives Congress, Bola Tinubu, has officially submitted his completed nomination forms to the Independent National Electoral Commission.
Reports gathered that the national leader of the APC on Wednesday signed and personally returned the forms two days ahead of schedule deadline as stipulated by the electoral law and INEC guidelines and timetable.
The development was confirmed by Tinubu’s media spokesman, Tunde Rahman, on Friday.
The statement read, “We wish to reiterate that HE Asíwájú Tinubu now stands ready to contest the February 25, 2023 presidential election to deliver progressive good governance to our people,” he said.
Asked to comment on who was chosen as the running mate of the former Lagos State governor, Rahman disclosed that he cannot speak on it.
He, however, gave an assurance that the name will be officially ‘announced later’.
“Asiwaju completed the forms and signed. He had to return it himself. His running mate will be announced later,” he said.
Meanwhile, a chieftain of the party Kabiru Faskari has confirmed that Kabiru Masari has been named as “Place holder” running mate for the 2023 elections.
He stated this during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics on Friday, June 17.
“Ibrahim Kabiru Masari is our vice presidential nominee. He was the Welfare Secretary of the APC under Oshiomhole (former national chairman of the party),” he said during the show on Friday. “He is a well-known politician in Kaduna State and his name has been submitted.”
Faskari explained that picking Kabiru, who hails from Katsina State, does not violate the country’s laws as against the clamour for a Muslim/Christian APC ticket.
According to him, Kabiru is experienced, close to Tinubu, and will not have a problem working with the former Lagos State governor.
“He is young; he represents the youths and is grounded in politics and was even a national official of the APC. He is quite close to the presidential candidate and has been with him for a very long time,” he explained. “It is a very informed decision to put out his name.”
He said the decision followed wide consultations and that the party needs a person from a region with a large voting population.
“I think what it is is that it was the decision of the presidential candidate after due diligence,” the APC chieftain added.
The APC, it is believed is putting Kabiru as a placeholder to beat the deadline given by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for presidential candidates to submit the names of their running mates.
INEC had given a Friday, June 17th, deadline for the submission of the names.
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