Tinubu Names Masari As His Running Mate To Meet The INEC Deadline.

Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, has named Kabir Ibrahim Masari as his running mate in order to meet INEC’s deadline of Friday, June 17.

Kabir Ibrahim Masari, from President Muhammadu Buhari’s home state, is said to be a “place holder” until party stakeholders agree on a suitable vice-presidential candidate for the 2023 elections.

Tinubu and the APC made the move to comply with the law and beat the deadline set by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for political parties to submit the names of presidential candidates and their running mates.

Tinubu, on the other hand, will meet President Muhammadu Buhari today, June 16, as talks about his running mate continue.

A party source said:

The name of the running mate submitted would be changed for another northern politician in the next few weeks. The one submitted is just holding the ticket in trust for another candidate to be picked by Tinubu and the party in the next few weeks.

“The candidate is still widely consulting, because the issues around the choice of running mate are many and he is yet to address them all. So, he is still asking for more time to look into it all – whether he is running a Muslim-Muslim or a Muslim-Christian ticket.

He personally thinks there’s a need for more consultation and that’s what he is doing. The debate on the choice of deputy has assumed a level that is currently greater than the party and the candidate, hence the need for comprehensive consultation, which is what he is doing.