El-Rufai best choice as Tinubu’s running mate – Group

A group, Tinubu Support Organisation, has endorsed the Kaduna State Governor, Malma Nasir El-Rufai, as the best choice of running mate for the All Progressives Congress’ presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.

The TSO said it arrived at the decision after its consultative meeting with critical stakeholders of the APC in the North-West geopolitical zone of the country.

The group noted that the APC had many outstanding individuals among its leaders that could serve as Tinubu’s running mate but the North-West, as the single largest voting bloc in Nigeria, should be allowed to produce the next Vice President.

The Director-General of the Tinubu Support Organisation, Aminu Suleiman, while briefing newsmen in Kaduna on Monday, said the choice of running mate was a critical success factor for the victory of Tinubu.

“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 Vice President,” Suleiman said.

According to him, the Tinubu Support Organisation was working tirelessly for the election of Tinubu as the next President of Nigeria, adding that it believed that the choice of running mate was a critical success factor for the victory of party’s candidate.

He said, “We are glad that the APC has many outstanding individuals among its leaders. But, having assessed all the options, it is the view of the TSO that the APC’s candidate for the 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 offices 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.”