Tinubu Allays Fears, Says Running Mate Was Legally Nominated

By Adesina Soyooye

In an apparent response to the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, which said that stand-in Vice Presidential nominees are illegal, unconstitutional and unrecognised by INEC laws, the Presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, has allayed fears that it could affect his candidacy.

Festus Okoye, INEC Commissioner in charge of Voter Education, said on Monday that the only way it could work is if the stand-in candidates write to INEC to withdraw their candidacy.

There are fears that, perhaps, some candidates might refuse to step down as in the case of the Senate President, Dr Ahmad Lawan, whose stand in, Bashir Sheriff Machina, has refused to stand down.

Tinubu and Peter Obi, the Presidential candidate of the Labour Party, LP, in a bid to beat the INEC deadline of June 17, during which time they must submit names of their running mates, had sent in “stand-in” candidates who they hope to replace with permanent names after sorting out with stakeholders.

While Tinubu picked a former National Welfare Secretary of the APC,  Kabiru Ibrahim Masari, from Katsina State, as a stand-in, Obi put Dr Doyin Okupe, as his own.

But allaying fears of a possible backlash Monday night, in an interview with ARISE Television, Tinubu’s Spokesperson, Tunde Rahman, said Masari was duly nominated as his Principal’s running mate. He, however, added that if Masari chooses to step down within INEC’s stipulated time, no law or rules, or regulations has  been breached.

Rahman: “Without taking issues with the INEC National Commissioner, I just like to state the situation as it relates to the Presidential candidate of the APC, Asíwájú Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

“And it is that Asíwájú Tinubu has duly completed his nomination forms, including giving the particulars of his running mate. He has returned the completed nomination forms to INEC. He even returned the forms two days ahead of schedule.

“I don’t know about a placeholder. This is the coinage of the media. I know he has picked a running mate.”

Rahman, however, added that “consultations were still ongoing between President Muhammadu Buhari, Tinubu, his running mate, Masari and the APC national leadership” over who exactly  the choice of his running mate would be.

“I must add, however, that there are ongoing consultations involving President Buhari, the party’s governors and the APC leadership with Asíwájú Tinubu and his running mate. If following these  consultations, the running mate decides, for instance, that he wants to stand down in the interest of the party and the country, I think it’s only fair and appropriate to allow him deal with that as long as it is done within the spheres of the electoral law and the timeframe for that, given by INEC.

“I think it’s within the prerogative of the running mate to take his own decision and to say, for instance, that he would like to stand down because he feels doing so will serve the candidate and the party better than he remaining on the ticket. And that this is done in line with the provision of the law and INEC guidelines and timetable. This is the way it is”, Rahman said.

Atiku Abubakar, the Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has no such problems.

He has since submitted the name of his running mate, Dr Ifeanyi Okowa, a former Senator, and Governor of Delta State.