Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the national leader of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), has said it is too early to speculate on who would be his running partner in the highly anticipated presidential election of 2023.
Tinubu made the announcement on Friday, January 7 through his media aide, Tunde Rahman, according to The Punch.
Tinubu’s adviser said it was premature to talk about a running mate because his leader had yet to openly declare his intention in running for president.
He added that the APC national leader is still in intensive consultations with political players across the country about his aspiration to run for the country’s top position.
Tinubu was in Nigeria’s capital city, Abuja, for private discussions with some of these stakeholders, according to Rahman.
He said:“I think we should not jump the gun. When he makes that declaration, other things will follow. Until he does that I will advise that we don’t speculate on his presidential pairing.”
“To do that will be tantamount to putting the cart before the horse.”
This comes after Abdulmumin Jibrin, the Director-General of the Tinubu Support Group, stated that if Asiwaju Bola Tinubu becomes the presidential candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2023 general elections, a Muslim-Muslim ticket is irrelevant.
Former House of Representatives member Jibrin stated that Nigerians are more concerned with the caliber of candidates for public service.
According to The Punch, the former legislator, who is now Executive Director (Business Development) at the Federal Housing Authority, said this on Monday, January 3 during a current affairs show in Abuja.
Jibrin said: “If you bring a Christian- Christian presidency or a Muslim- Muslim presidency, for me, personally, it doesn’t matter. Even within the party and my TSG, we have had this conversation.”
Meanwhile, Hon. Hafiz Kawu, a Kano lawmaker who represents the Tarauni Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, has voiced his support for Vice President Yemi Osinbajo as the next President of Nigeria.
According to Vanguard, in a chat with journalists on Tuesday, January 4, Kawu remarked that, based on the huge developments of the Buhari-led government and his passion for the country, Osinbajo deserves to be the next president in 2023.
Osinbajo’s strong performance as acting president, according to the legislator, demonstrates his capacity for the job.
He went on to claim that Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu has yet to declare his intention to run for president in the upcoming election, which is why he supports Osinbajo.
Kawu said: “As far as I’m concerned, Asiwaju Bola Tinibu has not declared he’s running for the presidency and being one of the closest to the Vice President, I worked as his aide between 2015– 2019 before I moved to the house of Reps, I know him personally, I know his capacities so as I said, following the laws of natural justice, and at a time people are saying power should go to the South, he should be the person to succeed Muhammadu Buhari.”