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2023: APC may unveil vice presidential candidate Wednesday

There are strong indications that the running All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, may unveil his running mate on Wednesday.

This is coming amidst the directive by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to political parties in the country to submit the list of their candidates and running mates (presidential and governorship) from June 10 to 17, 2022.

The Star had reported that INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, gave the directive during a meeting with resident electoral commissioners in Abuja last Thursday.

It was, however, gathered that Tinubu, who recently emerged as the APC presidential candidate, would conclude consultations with the party’s stakeholders, including governors on Tuesday and would announce his running mate on Wednesday.

It was further learnt that the APC governors and other stakeholders had agreed that the North-East should produce the vice-presidential candidate of the party.

Those who are being considered for the party’s vice president slot include Governors Atiku Bagudu (Kebbi), Abdullahi Ganduje (Kano) Simon Lalong (Plateau); and former governor of Borno State, Kashim Shettima.

It was gathered that the North-East might produce the running mate, while the position of the Senate President would go to the South-East and North-West would produce the House of Representatives Speaker.

Speaking on the development, an associate of Tinubu and Lagos Vice Chairman (Central) of the APC, Hakeem Bamigbala, disclosed that the presidential candidate would unveil his running mate in the next two or three days.

He also said the party had not decided on the issue of a Muslim running mate for Tinubu.

“The issue of this Muslim-Muslim ticket is still speculation till the next two to three days (Wednesday) when the party will unveil Asiwaju’s running mate.

“It is not enough for anybody to just come out to say the APC is fielding a Muslim VP. Nobody has mentioned that. We are still looking at a credible northerner who can be a Christian too to pair with Tinubu,” Bamigbala told PUNCH.

There are concerns about the running mate of Tinubu, who is a Muslim, for the 2023 general election.

Earlier the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) warned leading political parties in the country against Christian/Christian or Muslim/Muslim presidential ticket in the 2023 general election.

CAN said choosing running mates of the same religion with the presidential candidates is a threat to the fragile peace and unity of Nigeria, adding that any party that tries same religion ticket will fail in the forthcoming polls.

The association said the running mate of Tinubu should be a Christian from the North, while the running mate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, should be a Christian from the South.

The Star