7 days to INEC deadline: N/West, N/East intensify push for APC VP slot

Seven days to the deadline of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for the withdrawal of a presidential candidate or his running mate, governors and other stakeholders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the North West and North East have intensified the push to clinch the running mate slot. To meet INEC’s June 17, […]

Seven days to the deadline of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for the withdrawal of a presidential candidate or his running mate, governors and other stakeholders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the North West and North East have intensified the push to clinch the running mate slot.

To meet INEC’s June 17, deadline for the submission of the nomination of presidential candidates and their running mates, the ruling party had submitted the names of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Alhaji Kabir Ibrahim Masari as the presidential candidate and running mate respectively.

Masari, a National Welfare Officer of the APC during the Adams Oshiomhole era was nominated as a placeholder running mate pending the conclusion of consultations by stakeholders of the ruling party.

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In its timetable for the 2023 general elections, INEC has fixed July 15, 2022, as the last day for presidential and national assembly candidates to withdraw from the race in line with Section 31 of the Electoral Act 2022.

Section 31 reads: “A candidate may withdraw his or her candidature by notice in writing signed by him and delivered personally by the candidate to the political party that nominated him for the election and the political party shall convey such withdrawal to the commission not later than 90 days to the election.”

Daily Trust reports that the Electoral Act 2022 has foreclosed the substitution of candidates by political parties in line with Section 28.

The fresh push

Before the nomination of Masari as the placeholder running mate, credible sources told this paper that Tinubu had settled for Senator Kashim Shettima, a former Governor of Borno State, as his running mate.

Shettima played a key role in the emergence of Tinubu as the flag bearer of the party. However, the quest by various tendencies and interest groups in the party to grab the seat halted the submission of Shettima’s name.

Daily Trust reports that the push by the 22 governors who are members of the party to secure the seat for one of them is the principal factor that has been delaying the resolution of the impasse over the vice presidential slot.

Fourteen of the 22 governors of the APC are from the Northern part of the country. The northern governors laid the foundation for the emergence of Tinubu when they insisted that the party’s presidential ticket must be zoned to the South. 

Multiple sources told this paper that the insistence by the governors to produce the running mate was responsible for the delay. In the North West, Governors Nasiru el-Rufai (Kaduna) and Abdullahi Umar Ganduje (Kano) are being mentioned. In the North Central, Governor Simon Lalong is said to be eyeing the seat. However, his ambition is being threatened by the promoters of the Muslim-Muslim ticket.

Daily Trust further reports that Borno State governor, Prof Babagana Zulum is also being mentioned, in addition to Senator Shettima, from the North East.

Last week, governors of the party in the North West met and resolved that the region must fill the party’s vice presidential slot. The region, in a communiqué signed by its APC Zonal Vice Chairman, Salihu Mohammed Lukman, said the APC governors, governorship candidates and ministers from the states in the zone were part of the resolution that the ticket should be given to the region.

On Monday, a group known as the Tinubu Support Organisation (TSO) recommended El-Rufai to Tinubu.

A source close to El-Rufai said for the party to win the presidential election, the running mate must be picked from the North West.

The source said, “Like it or not, the North West has the highest votes in the country. Six out of the seven states in the region are governed by APC. If the zone is given the vice presidential slot, we will win.

“The issue being raised that President Muhammadu Buhari is from the zone does not hold water. In the North East, APC and PDP share the six states equally. Borno, Gombe and Yobe are governed by APC, while Adamawa, Bauchi and Taraba are PDP states.

“The presidential candidate of the PDP, Atiku Abubakar, is from the geopolitical zone, so giving them the running mate won’t make much difference because we will retain our states in 2023.”

But a ranking federal lawmaker from the North East said among all the contenders, El-Rufai had the least national appeal and acceptability.

He said, “It won’t be fair to concentrate power in the North West. So, the best zone is the North East, and nobody is standing as tall as Senator Shettima since we have settled for the Muslim-Muslim ticket.”

Another source said the members of the camp of the defunct Congress for Progressive Congress (CPC) were also pushing for one of their members to be considered for the seat.

The source said the camp had secured the support of some elements in the presidency, noting that the members of the defunct CPC were behind the candidature of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami.

 Tinubu keeps contenders, supporters guessing

Twelve days after leaving the country for Paris, France, Tinubu has kept observers, political pundits and analysts guessing over the motive of his visit, even as politicians and influential Nigerians have been visiting him, ostensibly to show solidarity and support for his presidential ambition.

Daily Trust reports that Tinubu left Nigeria in the early hours of Monday, June 27, to Paris shortly after meeting President Buhari as part of consultations ahead of the 2023 elections.

Shortly after arriving in Paris, Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State met him on Monday where they ironed out some issues, according to a source.

It would be recalled that Governor Abiodun was in the news with Tinubu before the APC presidential primary when the latter boasted that he was instrumental to his emergence as governor in 2019.

Our correspondent learnt that while Abiodun and Tinubu have moved on after what seemed like an altercation, the meeting was aimed at further conferring with the APC presidential candidate and showing solidarity with him on his ambition.

A source who spoke with our correspondent yesterday said Tinubu’s engagements in Paris formed part of the consultations on choosing the most suitable running mate.

The source, close to Asiwaju, said, “I can tell you that Asiwaju would return to the country with solutions on who will be the running mate.

“The consultation is ongoing, and I can tell you what appears to be a controversy over the running mate would have been resolved before Asiwaju returns.”

Though it was not clear yesterday when Asiwaju will return to the country, more politicians are expected to visit him in Paris before he returns. He is expected back before the grand rally of the APC in Osun ahead of the July 16, governorship election.

The source further said, “This is part of the consultation. You know we are faced with a thorny issue of running mate. Whether Muslim-Muslim or Muslim-Christian, we are only interested in winning, and whatever is going to guarantee the APC’s victory is what will guide the choice of the running mate.

“But what we know is this thorny issue would have been dealt with before Asiwaju returns to the country.”

Daily Trust reports that the latest dignitary to visit Tinubu is billionaire businessman, Mr Femi Otedola, who wished him well on his presidential aspiration.

Tinubu’s media aide, Mr Tunde Rahman, who was contacted yesterday on when Tinubu would return to the country, did not respond.

However, in a statement recently issued, his media office said he would return soon.

 

By Ismail Mudashir (Abuja) & Abdullateef Aliyu (Lagos)