THE presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has announced that a former Borno State governor, Kashim Shettima, would be his running mate in the 2023 general elections.
Tinubu made the announcement on Sunday at a press conference in Katsina.
The announcement came after a closed-door meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari in Daura.
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The meeting lasted about an hour.
Tinubu described Shettima as “competent, capable, reliable and able to be picked as a running mate.”
Last month, Tinubu had announced Ibrahim Masari as a placeholder running mate.
Masari had earlier today announced his resignation as a placeholder in a letter addressed to party members.
“Recall that I had the singular honour and privilege of being nominated as the running-mate to Asiwaju Tinubu last month after a keenly contested presidential primaries ahead of the 2023 general elections.
“But after much reflection and wider consultations, I now wish to step down. I realized that my decision will enable Asiwaju have more latitude to give more accommodation and inclusion that will position our party to win the coming elections, with the support of the people of Nigeria,” it read.
Prior to the announcement, the Tinubu Campaign Organisation had confirmed that Tinubu’s running mate would be a Muslim from the northern part of Nigeria.
Ijeoma Opara is a journalist with The ICIR. Reach her via [email protected] or @ije_le on Twitter.