The Presidential candidate and national leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu, has returned to the country, ending his stay in France and London in the United Kingdom (UK).
Tinubu return to Nigeria after barely two weeks abroad, where he held strategic meetings with Nigerians based in the country and abroad ahead of the 2023 presidential election.
While in France, Ogun State governor, Dapo Abiodun, visited Tinubu, and sources said that they had a fruitful deliberation on different issues that could affect the party’s chances of winning the poll.
Also, billionaire business mogul, Femi Otedola, paid a visit to Tinubu, after which he prayed that the APC presidential candidate will emerge as the President of Nigeria in 2023.
It was gathered that one of the issues that formed discussion during his stay outside Nigeria was who would be his Vice Presidential candidate for next year’s election, considering the decision by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) decision to zone their party ticket to the north.
His return came amid growing interest among members of the APC over who becomes his running mate after he declared that Ibrahim Masari was a placeholder for who would finally become the preferred Vice Presidential candidate.
The plane that conveyed the Lagos State former governor, according to sources, landed on Friday night some minutes before midnight at the Murtala Muhammad Airport, Ikeja, and first, after his arrival, Tinubu is expected to join other Muslims across Nigeria, particularly Lagosians, to celebrate the Eid-il-Adha and participate in the religious rites on Saturday.
His arrival was confirmed to The Guild by sources closer to the APC presidential candidate and they were also at the airport to receive him back to the country.
Earlier, Tinubu, via his official Twitter handle, had shared a tweet, “Heading Home,” with a link to his Instagram page showing him inside an aircraft, wearing black trousers and a white polo shirt.
Also, after his arrival, the APC national leader would intensify discussions on a running mate that would not only under the dynamics of politics but also good understanding of the economy and could address Nigeria’s challenges should they win the election next year.
While abroad, different groups have started canvassing for governors of their states, particularly those that were not seeking re-election, to serve as Tinubu’s running mate for the election in the country.
Among those these groups have assisted them to signify their interest were the Kano state governor, Abdullahi Ganduje, and his Kaduna counterpart, Nasir El-Rufai, also the Plateau governor, Simon Lalong, and others.
Tinubu departed Nigeria shortly after he held a closed-door meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, on June 27, for what his media handlers described as a journey to hold important meetings.
The traveling itinerary of the APC presidential candidate was revealed through a statement released by Tinubu’s Spokesman, Tunde Rahman, and made available to newsmen in Abuja before he departed from the country.
According to the statement, he is off to Paris, France to hold some important meetings. The APC standard-bearer is expected back in the country shortly.”
