The Lagos State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) said on Wednesday that the governorship candidate of the party, Olajide Adediran, had yet to announce his running mate.
The Lagos PDP Publicity Secretary, Mr Hakeem Amode, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the party was not aware of any running mate yet.
Mr Amode was reacting to a reported emergence of popular Nollywood actress, Funke Akindele, as the running mate nominee to the PDP governorship candidate.
According to him, the candidate will soon announce his running mate without delay and everybody will know.
“It is not in my place to announce who the running mate to our governorship candidate, Jandor, is. Let us wait for the candidate himself to announce.
“Has the candidate of the party announced anywhere that he has picked his running mate?
“What you are reading online on this, is it from the candidate of the party?
“The candidate of the party will announce who his running mate is and he has not done that. We should wait for the official announcement,” Mr Amode said.
When probed further to know if the party had settled on anyone for the running mate slot for the PDP governorship candidate, Mr Amode declined response.
The party’s spokesperson added that he could not also confirm the choice of Ms Akindele as the running mate of the party’s governorship candidate.
According to him, it is the candidate, not the party, that will announce who the running mate will be.
“He will do that in no time and you all will hear. I will not confirm anything, the candidate of the party will do so,” he said.
Gbenga Ogunleye, a media aide to Mr Adediran, also told PREMIUM TIMES on Wednesday that the news about Ms Akindele’s purported selection as his principal’s running mate is false.
“No, what you will see is that she has been nominated (alongside four others). Nobody has been chosen officially,” he said
“They are just trying to jump the gun, maybe because of one or two activities within the party.”
The other nominees for the running mate for the party are Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, Kolawole Vaughan, Adenike Shobajo, and Rasheed Teslim-Balogun.
Mr Ogunleye said the name of the chosen deputy will be “announced formally, very soon.”
Mr Adediran, the lead visioner of the Lagos4Lagos Movement, secured the governorship ticket of the PDP in Lagos state in May.
He would run against his major opponent, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of the ruling APC, on March 11, 2023.
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