Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu, the Presidential Candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2023 general election, on Sunday disclosed that he is still in search of his running mate.
Tinubu stated this in Abuja while delivering his keynote address at the 60th birthday celebration of the speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila.
The APC presidential candidate praised the speaker for his role in enhancing his political ambition of becoming Nigeria’s president and democracy, also applauding his deputy, Hon. Idris Wase, for being a reliable ally.
Tinubu said: “As a Minority Leader, he consults wide and he’s always there to see the thinking of opposition that we must bring a revolution to the House to be able to beat the PDP.
“And then, he will brainstorm for any length of time that you want a lecture about political strategy.
“When we need to challenge for the position of the speaker, I think after our merger, he worked with me tirelessly, Femi is a workaholic. The problem of failure stared him in the face, when he lost the election to become the speaker.
“I was close to tears, standing my foot on the ground, we will win again, Femi keep on, pick yourself up. I am very proud of you that you did, you didn’t give up. You did the opposition and the support job. You demonstrated what we couldn’t learn from the textbooks, and other authors.
“That life is not about education of one section of the society. Remember what we discussed about paying the WAEC fees of omo iya oniboli (the son of the woman who roasts plantain), and my mum was alive then, asking me to see to it each time I gave her money, it doesn’t last.
“And I said whatever you do with the money I don’t know. Mama will say no, those women there, they are mothers, they want to pay WAEC fees. And Femi was one of the first I consulted that are we going to say that the children of the poor are not deserving of becoming governors, doctors and engineers? I said I was afraid, he said do it. So that is how a junior brother can inspire a senior leader.
“Femi with your determination, reach you are a contributor to our democratic growth, thank you. Your character, is that of a great leader. It’s about charting a path to success, you’ve done a good job and I say thank you, thank you!
“What you did during my primary (presidential election) is a story for another day. I’ve spent more time, too many times and people might be bored, they might be envious too, they might be jealous. I won landslide, I thank you.
“I could see your deputy (Wase) sitting down there too, you are a very good symbol of unity, dependability, and honesty, thank you. Thank you to both of you, you’ve not rocked the boat. I will need to learn from both of you, how you made the pair work because I’m still searching for my running mate,” Tinubu said.
In his remarks, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila urged Asiwaju Tinubu in choosing his running mate, saying, “As a parting shot, I will like to say you should consult with his younger brother (Gbajabiamila), but this time it won’t be for free.”
