Sources within the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) have said that Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, the party’s presidential candidate, rejected a proposal to select either Senate President Ahmad Lawan or Kogi state governor Yahaya Bello as his running mate for the 2023 presidential race.
Our source learned that Tinubu’s rivals in the APC presidential primary, Lawan and Bello, have been pleading with the president and other key figures to persuade the former governor of Lagos state to pick them as his running mate.
While Tinubu won the primary with 1,271 votes, Lawan polled 152 votes while Yahaya Bello got 47 votes.
Our source, a former Minister in the South-Western part of the country said though Tinubu has no issues with picking a Muslim as his running mate, he flatly rejected both of them as they are direct contestants with him and they have their minds set on becoming president.
“Yes both men (Lawan and Bello) have been making moves to be nominated as vice-presidential candidates but I can assure you that Asiwaju is not considering them at all.
He met with President Buhari shortly before his trip to France and I strongly believe that must have been part of their discussions as both men have been lobbying the president to prevail on Asiwaju to consider them”.
“Even those of who are associates of Asiwaju Tinubu are against their choice as both of them are not strong personalities that can bring the needed votes in the North” he said.
Tinubu who used Ibrahim Masari as a placeholder in his nomination form to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) stated last weekend at the 60th birthday of the Speaker of the House of Reps, Femi Gbajabiamila that he is still in a search of a running mate.
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