IBUKUNOLUWA KING-OKUNEYE
The presidential candidate of the All Progressive Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu says he submitted the name of his running mate to the Independent National Electoral Commission and not a placeholder as required by the law.
He made this statement in response to the comment by the INEC Commissioner for Information and Voter Education, Festus Okoye, who explained that the idea of placeholder was alien to the Nigerian constitution.
After emerging as the APC presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu had picked Kabiru Masari as his running mate.
However, there were speculations that Masari was just a placeholder to allow APC meet up with INEC’s deadline for the submission of names of running mates
Speaking through his Media Aide, Tunde Rahman, Tinubu debunked the claims of Masari being a placeholder.
He said, ”Without taking issues with the INEC’s National Commissioner, I just like to state the situation as it relates to the presidential candidate of the APC, Asíwájú Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
“And it is that Asíwájú Tinubu has duly completed his nomination forms, including giving the particulars of his running mate. He has returned the completed nomination forms to INEC. He even returned the forms two days ahead of schedule.
“I don’t know about a placeholder. This is the coinage of the media. I know he has picked a running mate,”