The leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) from the North-West have called on the party’s presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, to pick his vice president from the zone.
Recall that July 15 is the deadline set by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for substituting candidates by political parties where necessary.
KEMI FILANI NEWS recalls that Tinubu claimed he is still searching for his running mate after submitting the names of Kabiru Masari to INEC as a placeholder.
The APC National Vice-Chairman (North-West), Dr Salihu Lukman, disclosed the region’s demand in a statement after meeting on Thursday in Kaduna.
The North-West leaders are coming out for the first time after the party’s special convention, which produced Tinubu as the party’s flag bearer in the 2023 election.
The party leaders from the region who attended the Kaduna meeting include APC governors, gubernatorial candidates and ministers from the North-West region.
It said, “The meeting noted the contribution of the North-West to the emergence and growth of the APC and its electoral viability, with the North-West providing about 39% of the votes the APC recorded in 2019 and 2015 presidential elections.
“Therefore, the zone resolved to aggregate its interests and vital concerns and engage accordingly with the presidential candidate of the party.”
The leaders acknowledged the challenges facing some state chapters of the party and resolved to promote efforts at reconciliation as an urgent priority.