GoldenNewsNg gathered that the national chairman of the All Progressive Congress (APC), Abdullahi Adamu has stated his position on the selection of a running mate for the flag bearer of the party, Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Speaking to newsmen at the state house in Abuja on Monday, June 20, Adamu stated that the selection of a running mate for the party was in correlation with the statutory provisions of the law, TheCable reported.
Bola Tinubu had reportedly selected his running mate in person of Kabir Masari.
However, Tinubu submitted Masari’s name as a placeholder ahead of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) deadline for parties to submit the names of their candidates for the 2023 elections.
This means that even if INEC’s deadline elapses and the flag bearer of the APC in the person of Bola Tinubu decided to do a replacement, then it will be completely legal.
Meanwhile, there is no official statement backing the submission of Masari as a placeholder as the APC is yet to issue any comment on it.
Adamu reacts to Masari’s name submission as running mate
Speculations making the round also have it that Masari might be willing to give up the position if he is indeed Tinubu’s running mate.
Reacting to the speculation, Adamu said:
“We are not in the speculative world. We are governed by the laws of the land. There’s nothing our presidential candidate has done with regards to returning his forms that is not within the confines of the law of the land,” the APC chairman said.
“Everything we’ve done so far, we have done very carefully with legal consultation and we are cocksure, we’re not going to have the kind of speculation that you are professing at this point in time.
“We’re very comfortable with what we have done. It is still pessimism. However, not in that school of thought yet. We don’t have to be there.”
Ekiti polls: APC chairman, Adamu call for an end to negative news report
When asked about the rampant cases of voter inducement in the just concluded Ekiti governorship election, Adamu urged the media to desist from negative reportage of the country’s electoral system.
He said:
“I just want to add a word or two in the response of our governor-elect on the issue of vote buying. As a patriotic Nigerian that is privileged to lead the ruling party in this country today, I want to only appeal to the media. Please don’t partake in portraying negative attitudes in our processes,” he said.
“If you do so, you are compromising. I’m sorry to say so. You’re compromising the integrity of our process as a country.”
Meanwhile, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said the concept of “placeholder” for vice-presidential candidates “has no place in our constitutional and legal framework”.
