APC Picks New Date To Unveil Tinubu’s Running Mate

The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has fixed July 20, 2022, to unveil the running mate to its presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

Senator Kashim Shettima, who had been announced as Tinubu’s running mate, would be officially unveiled at the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Centre, Abuja, on Wednesday.

The APC had last week postponed the former Borno governor’s unveiling without giving any reason for the sudden suspension.

Many believed that the postponement was due to the outrage trailing the party’s decision to field Muslims as its presidential and vice-presidential candidates. But reports said the postponement was occasioned by the death of a relative of Shettima.

The APC, in a tweet on Tuesday, said it was now set to unveil Shettima to the Nigerian public at the event scheduled for 11 a.m. on Wednesday.

The party will go ahead to field the former Borno governor as its VP candidate despite his rejection by a coalition of all APC support groups.

The coalition, in a communique issued last Thursday by its Convener, Igwe Ude-umanta, had asked Tinubu to reconsider Shettima’s nomination.

The communique read: “We, substantive members of Coalition of All Progressives Congress Support Groups here speaking in one voice and unanimously rejecting in totality the recent announcement of former Governor of Borno State, Senator Kashim Shettima, as the running mate to the presidential candidate of APC, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

“We call on the leadership of All Progressives Congress, Progressive Governors Forum, and His Excellency, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu to reconsider the choice of the running mate of the party, and give support to the Nigerian youths’ nomination of a young vice-presidential candidate by picking Dr. Ibrahim Bello Dauda to whom we all rally round and give all our fullest support nationwide ahead of the 2023 presidential election. He is the Nigerian youths’ symbol.”