Buhari names VP candidate today
...Tinubu holds out till last minute
Presidential candidate of the main opposition All Progressives Congress [APC] Major General Muhammadu Buhari will announce his choice of a running mate today but talks were still going on into the wee hours of this morning to overcome resistance from powerful party leader Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Daily
Trust learnt this morning.
Up until 1am, national officials and other leaders of APC were still waiting for Buhari to make his choice known, Daily Trust learnt.
The APC caucus meeting, attended by state governors and former presidential aspirants, broke up at 12.30am yesterday having taken two important decisions. One was that the running mate must be a South Westerner and a Christian.
The second decision was that Buhari himself should choose whoever he wants as his running mate provided he meets the outlined criteria and should make his choice known to party leaders ahead of a public announcement. It was also decided that all stakeholders should respect the choice once the presidential candidate makes
it. However, a top party official told Daily Trust yesterday that “the decision that Buhari should choose whoever he wants is easier said than done. In practice, he cannot afford to antagonise Tinubu and up until last night, the South West caucus was still insisting that Tinubu should be the running mate.” Sources said Buhari spent all yesterday trying to persuade Tinubu to go with the majority decision and nominate someone else to be the running mate but he apparently refused to budge, hence the failure to name a running mate yesterday as expected.
More rounds of meetings were held at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja early evening yesterday. It was agreed before the meeting broke up around 10pm that Buhari will make his choice known last night but he did not do so when the meeting resumed because Tinubu was still holding out. Anxious party leaders said an announcement must be made this morning because tomorrow is the deadline set by the Independent National Electoral Commission [INEC] for the submission of names of presidential and National Assembly candidates by political parties. The 1999 Constitution provides that a presidential candidate’s nomination is not valid without a running mate.
Delay not to cause anxiety - APC
Earlier in the evening, the chairman of All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief John Odigie Oyegun had said General Buhari will announce his running mate today.
Chief Oyegun announced this while speaking to journalists at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja shortly after the meeting of the National Working Committee (NWC).
He said the delay in the announcement of a running mate is not a deliberate attempt to create anxiety but a result of consultations with stakeholders on how to arrive at the party’s choice in a democratic way.
“The candidate will speak with you people. I have a feeling yea he will speak with you tomorrow.
Is it the party or the candidate that will announce the choice.
The party has consulted with the candidate and has reached an agreement and he will address you on it,” he said.
Daily Trust has earlier gathered that three names – Tinubu, Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola and Prof Yemi Osinbajo – were forwarded to Buhari to select from. A source said Buhari might have made his choice.
The decision to allow Buhari select his running mate, according to the source, followed the deadlock encountered by the party stakeholders at a meeting on Monday.