Tinubu finally chosen Muslim northerner as running mate – source confirms
The presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Bola Tinubu, has finally chosen a Muslim from the northerner for his running mate.
A highly-competent source in the Tinubu Campaign Organisation who requested anonymity confirmed this to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Abuja.
The source told NAN that Tinubu would make the name of the candidate public this week.
“The vice-presidential nominee may most likely be a former governor and senator from the Northeast part of Nigeria.
“The person is also by accident of birth a Muslim, confirming what Gov. Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano State said on Saturday that Tinubu had settled for a Muslim-Muslim ticket,’’ the source said.
The source added that in picking the running mate, Tinubu was not thinking about religion, but about competence, exposure and intellectual depth of the candidate.
“The considerations given for the choice of a running mate were dictated by the need to choose an individual capable of working with the presidential candidate to take Nigeria to greater heights,’’ the source said.
Tinubu is scheduled to pay Sallah homage to the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.) in Daura, Katsina, on Sunday to brief him on his chosen running mate.
The former two-term Lagos State governor won APC’s presidential ticket at the party’s June 8 special national convention and presidential primary election.
He earlier chose Ibrahim Kabiru Masari, as a placeholder for the vice-presidential slot.
Tinubu was away in France from June 27 on a short vacation during which he held some strategic meetings. He returned to Nigeria on Saturday early enough for Sallah festivities.
Recall that for the past few weeks, there has been a national conversation about the religious background of the presidential candidates and their intended running mates.
The two major political parties — All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) — have Muslim presidential candidates, and many stakeholders, including the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), have asked that their running mates be Christians.
While Atiku Abubakar, the PDP flagbearer, selected Ifeanyi Okowa — a Christian — as his running mate, there are speculations that Bola Tinubu, the APC standard-bearer, will opt for a fellow Muslim as his VP pick.
(NAN)
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