Tinubu Meets APC Governors As Search For Running Mate Begins

The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, will meet governors elected on the party’s platform as the search for a running mate began.

The Director of Media, Tinubu Campaign Organisation, Mr Bayo Onanuga, in an interview with The PUNCH said the governors would pick Tinubu’s running mate.

Onanuga stated that Tinubu already had an arrangement with the APC governors that if he emerged the candidate of the party, the governors would decide the person to pick.

According to him, Tinubu prefers a collective responsibility than doing it on his own.

“The Vice President can come from any region and religion. But the PGF is at liberty to pick.

Up till now, we are all aware that Atiku has not chosen a VP. Yet, he was elected before him. But in our own case, it is a party affair.

“The party leaders will look at the chances and decide how they will balance a Muslim from the South, maybe with somebody that comes from North East, North Central or from North West. That is how it is done. I cannot circumvent the party. The Governor Atiku Bagudu-led PGF has the task to pick a competent deputy for him,” he said.

Onanuga stressed that though a date had not been fixed for the meeting, it would not take long.

“Already, he has a cordial relationship with virtually all of them. You will also have to understand that he has just picked the presidential ticket. I am also sure that this issue of picking the right candidate for VP will be in the minds of the party leadership and the APC governors too.

“At this moment, we just want to pause and take a rest from the stress of the just-concluded campaign,” the former NAN MD added.

Meanwhile, the Majority Leader of the House of Representatives, Alhassan Ado-Doguwa, has said the running mate to Tinubu might come from the North East geopolitical zone.

According to Ado-Doguwa, this is based on the current zoning arrangement of the APC.

Speaking on Politics Today, a current affairs programme on Channels Television, few hours after the presidential primary of the APC on Wednesday, Ado-Doguwa said the leadership of the ruling party would deliberate on the religion factor.

It was also gathered that Tinubu would meet party leaders, including the National Chairman, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, before the end of the week.

The Punch