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The Presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, has disclosed that he has submitted the name of his running mate for the 2023 general election to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The APC flag-bearer revealed this in a statement issued on Friday, June 17, 2022.
However, Tinubu, who didn't disclose the name of his running mate, said he had “duly completed nomination forms to INEC”.
INEC's regulation stipulates that forms are incomplete without the running mate of a presidential candidate.
Meanwhile, a chieftain of the party, Kabiru Faskari, has confirmed that the name submitted to the electoral commission as Tinubu's running mate is that of one Alhaji Kabir Ibrahim Masari, a Katsina-based politician.
Speaking on a Channels Television program, Politics Today shortly after the news broke, Faskari said Kabir's name has been submitted to INEC as the APC vice presidential nominee.
"Yes, Ibrahim Kabir Masari is our Vice presidential nominee and he was the welfare secretary of the APC under the chairmanship of Oshiomhole," he said.
Reports also have it that Masari was selected as a placeholder pending the conclusions of consultation on the issue of running mate by various stakeholders of the APC.
Sources close to the APC presidential aspirant had also told Daily Trust that Masari was nominated as “a dummy running mate.”
The statement issued by Tinubu's media office on Friday quoted the former Lagos State Governor as saying that, “As stipulated by the electoral law and Independent National Electoral Commission guidelines and timetable, the standard bearer of the All Progressives Congress, HE Asíwájú Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has returned his duly completed nomination nomination forms to INEC. The forms were returned on Wednesday June 15, two days ahead of schedule.
“We wish to reiterate that HE Asíwájú Tinubu stands ready to contest the February 25, 2023 presidential election to deliver progressive good governance to our people.”
Tinubu can still substitute his running mate before the next year election in line with section 31 of the Electoral Act should Masari decide to withdraw.