2023: Obi, Tinubu submit names of Okupe, Masari as temporary running mates to INEC (see names of speculated candidates)
The Labour Party of Nigeria and the All Progressives Congress (APC) have submitted the names of Dr. Doyin Okupe and Kabiru Masari as temporary or placeholder Vice Presidential candidates to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Both names were submitted in order to beat today, Friday’s deadline for submission of the names to the electoral umpire.
Okupe, a Physician by training and former Presidential spokesman, is the Director-General of the Peter Obi Campaign Organisation and is from the South West geo-political zone, and can thus, not be Obi’s running mate at the end of the day.
Labour Party announced the submission of Okupe’s name via a tweet from the party’s official handle this evening, June 17, 2022, while a chieftain of the APC, Kabiru Faskari, confirmed that Asiwaju Bola Tinubu had named Katsina born politician, Kabiru Masari, as his running mate in a ‘placeholder’ role, during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Friday.
Kabiru Masari hails from Masari, a village in Kafur Local Government Area of Katsina State. He is a kinsman of Katsina State Governor Aminu Masari.
These announcements were made, according to party insiders, to allow for more consultations towards arriving at generally agreed running mates for the two candidates.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has already picked Delta State Governor, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, as its vice presidential candidate to run alongside former vice president Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.
Speculations have been rife as to who Obi and Tinubu would settle for as their running mates with names such as former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor and erstwhile Emir of Kano, Alhaji Muhammadu Sanusi II and one-time INEC Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega being mentioned for the Labour Party number two position while Governors Abdullahi Umar Ganduje of Kano and Nasir El Rufai of Kaduna states have been speculated with respect to the APC.
