By Aaron Ossai
Presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu has declared that he was still searching for his running mate weeks after he emerged presidential flag bearer of the party for the 2023 presidential election.
Tinubu disclosed this during a presentation of the book “Mr Speaker” and unveiling of the Legislative Mentorship Initiative to mark the 60 birthday of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon Femi Gbajabiamila in Abuja.
He said this when he lauded the good working relationship between the Gbajabiamila and his deputy, Hon Ahmed Wase.
According to him, he needed to learn from the duo about the way they worked seamlessly together as he continued his search for a running mate and described Gbajabiamila as a symbol of democratic value, honesty and integrity.
He also described Wase as a good symbol of unity, dependability and honesty and lauded the Speaker for his contribution in his emergence as the flag bearer of the party in the Presidential Primary Election.
He said he discovered Gbajabiamila as a potential politician even though the Speaker was reluctant at first adding that despite Gbajabiamila’s initial hesitation; he encouraged him to get involved.
He said he encouraged the Speaker to always do what the people wanted.
“As a Minority Leader, he consults widely and he’s always there to see the thinking 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 about political strategy.
“When he was challenged for the position of the speaker, I think after our merger he worked me tirelessly, Femi is a workaholic. The problem of failure stared him at the face. He lost the election to become the Speaker.
“I was close to tears. Stamping my foot to the ground, I said we will win again. Femi keep up. 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 learnt from textbooks and other authors”, he added.
