Presidency 2023: Tinubu ‘endorses’ El-Rufai as running mate  

The Tinubu Support Organisation on Monday announced the endorsement of Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State as the running mate of the All Progressives Congress (APC)presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, for the 2023 general elections.

The Director-General of the Tinubu Support Organisation, Aminu Suleiman, at a press conference on Monday in Kaduna, indicated that the group endorsed Governor El-Rufai as vice presidential candidate to Tinubu after consultation with APC stakeholders in the northwest zone and other zones.

Aminu Suleiman emphasised that the running mate needed for the victory of Tinubu in 2023 should come from the northwest, which is the largest voting bloc in the country.

Suleiman declared: “After due consultation with critical Stakeholders especially in the North-West, it is of the fact that El-Rufai is Asiwaju’s best choice for VP.

“The Tinubu Support Organisation is working tirelessly for the election of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu as the next President of Nigeria. TSO believes that the choice of running mate is a critical success factor for the victory of Asiwaju.

“We are glad that the APC has many outstanding individuals among its leaders. “But having assessed all the options, it is the view of TSO that the APC’s candidate for VP should be chosen from the North-West, the single largest voting bloc in Nigeria.

“It is our view that the person that can best compliment Asiwaju as VP is Malam Nasir El-Rufai, The Executive Governor of Kaduna State, and we recommend that he should be chosen as the running mate.

“El-Rufai is a very experienced person. He has held office at the federal level and at the state level, and he has done well in every office. He has always stood for progressive policies. He is not afraid of difficult decisions.

“This is a man that is running a state government with appointees from all over Nigeria.

“His capacity is not in doubt. His personal ability is outstanding. He is firm. He is courageous. He is principled. We know that he resisted every pressure to be dragged into the presidential race. We appreciate him and his colleagues, the APC governors from the north, for sticking to the view that gentlemen should respect agreements.

“El-Rufai is a leader whose talents and energy should be brought back to the federal level. We appeal to all our leaders in the APC to support Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu to choose El-Rufai as his running mate.”

Meanwhile, Tinubu had said that he is still searching for a running mate, and is yet to make an official announcement on the choice of a vice presidential candidate.

Some stakeholders in APC had suggested Governor Babagana Zulum of Borno State, others, Senator Kashim Shettima as running mate options for the APC presidential candidate.