In compliance with Nigeria’s Electoral Law and Guidelines of the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC, the standard bearer of APC, the ruling All Progressives Congress, Asíwájú Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and his Labour Party counterpart, Mr Peter Obi yesterday returned their duly completed nomination forms to the commission with the names of their running mates.
A Chieftain of the APC from Katsina State, Ibrahim Kabir Masari was named as Tinubu’s running mate while Labour Party picked Dr Doyin Okupe, former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s Special Assistant on Media and Publicity as Obi’s running mate.
It is believed that Masari’s name was submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC in “holding capacity”, implying that he could be substituted later on.
Another chieftain of the APC, Alhaji Faskari, said though Masari may not have been very popular in the sense of being a state governor or cabinet minister, but that “he is very known to us in the APC.”
The Labour Party, on its part, submitted the name of the former Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to former President Olusegun Obasanjo, Dr Doyin Okupe as the party’s vice presidential candidate.
Okupe who disclosed this by himself last night while featuring in a programme on the Channels Televison, “Politics Today,”said that his name had been submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, by his party as the Vice Presidential candidate.
Okupe said, “I stand in as the vice presidential candidate of the party. Labour party has submitted my name as the VP of the party.”
Okupe who spoke on how his party was going to dethrone the ruling All Progressive Congress, APC, said LP would ensure it returned Nigeria to its rightful owners, noting that Nigerians have suffered so much in the hands of APC.
