The All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Thursday stepped up moves to choose running mates for their presidential candidates.
Towards this end, the PDP has set up a committee comprising its governors, the National Working Committee and the Board of Trustees members as well as former governors with the mandate of picking its vice-presidential candidate.
The committee met on Wednesday and Thursday in Abuja. The PDP spokesman, Debo Ologunagba, confirmed the setting up of the committee.
It was gathered that the Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, and his Delta State counterpart, Ifeanyi Okowa, had intensified lobby of the PDP stakeholders as part of moves to clinch the post.
On his part, the APC presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, on Thursday, began the search for his running mate with a meeting with northern governors.
As Tinubu met northern governors, the Independent National Electoral Commission on Thursday gave parties June 17 deadline to submit the names of their presidential candidates and running mates.
The commission had on May 27 extended the deadline for parties to conduct primaries from June 4 to June 9.
It also fixed June 17 as the deadline for parties to submit lists of their candidates.
At the PDP primary held on May 29, former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, who emerged as the presidential candidate, polled 371 votes while his closest challenger, Wike, came second with 237 votes.
On Wednesday, Tinubu defeated aspirants including a former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi and the Vice-President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo.
Ologunagba, said that the PDP would announce its vice-presidential candidate next week.
He, however, declined to reveal the names of those being considered as the running mate.
He said, “Yes, we have set up a committee on the running mate; when it comes out with its decision, it would be announced. We don’t do things by speculations. There is a process, we don’t work without planning. We would follow due process, we consult, that’s what we are doing.
“When we are done with consultations, you would hear the outcome. Whether they met today (Thursday), whether they didn’t meet, that’s not relevant. When they have done their work, you would know the outcome.”
When asked about the names of the committee members, Ologunagba stated, “You don’t need the names. All the organs of our party are represented: the National Working Committee, the Governors Forum, the Board of Trustees, and the Former Governors Forum are all represented. All the organs of the party and relevant stakeholders are involved in the consultations.”
On the efforts to reconcile the aspirants who lost during the primaries, the party said a reconciliation process was ongoing.
It was gathered that Wike and Okowa had reached out to their fellow governors as part of efforts to clinch the post.
Meanwhile, the PDP presidential candidate on Thursday met with some former PDP governors.
Those who attended the meeting included Olusegun Mimiko (Ondo), Emeka Ihedioha (Imo); Olagunsoye Oyinlola (Osun); Chimaroke Nnamani (Enugu); Achike Udenwa (Imo); Theodore Orji (Abia); Celestine Omehia (Rivers); Ibrahim Idris (Kogi); Sam Egwu (Ebonyi); Fidelis Tapgun (Plateau), Emmanuel Uduaghan (Delta); Abdulfatah Ahmed (Kwara); Sule Lamido (Jigawa) and Boni Haruna (Adamawa)
Others were Ahmed Makarfi (Kaduna), Ibrahim Shema (Katsina) Lyel Imoke (Cross River) Jim Nwobodo (Enugu); Attahiru Bafarawa (Sokoto) and Babangida Aliyu (Niger).
The meeting which was held at Jimmy Carter, Asokoro, Abuja, focused on how to strengthen the opposition party amidst the crisis rocking some state chapters of the party.
It was also gathered that Atiku was also scheduled to meet with former ministers who served under the PDP administrations as part of moves to present a formidable front and get the input of stakeholders on the choice of a running mate ahead of the 2023 presidential poll.
Atiku’s spokesman, Mr Paul Ibe, confirmed the meeting and said that it was part of the ongoing consultations by the former vice-president to build a formidable party ahead of the polls.
In a related development, a former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, has warned the APC against picking a Muslim as running mate of Tinubu, who is also a Muslim.
Lawal pointed out that Nigerians were still conscious of ethno-religious factors in politics. According to him, Tinubu would have been running mate to President Muhammadu Buhari, when the latter became the candidate of the APC in 2014 but for the discouragement of a Muslim-Muslim ticket.
The ex-SGF, issued the warning while speaking on Politics Today, a current affairs programme on Channels Television, on Thursday.
