The Presidential Candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2023 general election, Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu, 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 who showered encomium for his contributions to his political ambition of becoming Nigeria’s President and democracy, also applauded his Deputy, Hon Idris Wase, for being a reliable ally.

He said: “As a Minority Leader, he consults wide than 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 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, standing my foot to the ground, we will win again, Femi keeps on picking 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 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 fee of omo iya oniboli (the Son of the Woman who roasts plantain), and my Mum was live then, asking me to see to it each time I have 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 are Mothers, they want to pay WAEC fees. And Femi was one of the first I consulted that paying? 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. Character, a great …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 a Deputy (Wase) sitting down there too, you are very good symbols of unity, dependability, and honesty, thank you. Thank you for 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, President Muhammadu Buhari who was represented by his Chief of Staff, Professor Ibrahim Gambari, who eulogised Hon Gbajabiamila for quality leadership towards national development.

He said: “It is very clear that those of us who got to know the Speaker at the earlier stage are not surprised at what has been said by former President Obasanjo and also by Asiwaju.

“All of them are absolutely right in identifying a true patriot. He is a team player and also a skilful parliamentarian. For him what matters is not so much the party differences but what unites Nigerians and that is why he is a passionate advocate for a peaceful democracy and unity of Nigeria.

“And no amount of parliamentary manoeuvres or differences between parties would deviate him from this. He introduced the term legislative diplomacy.

When there were issues between Nigerian and Ghanaian traders, He went to Accra and met with his colleagues and tried to resolve the issue.

“Mr President is very proud of the fact that he did not need to interfere in how the National Assembly runs because he had trust in the capacity in the leadership of the Senate and House of Representatives and therefore he feels that with capable hands in both chambers of the NASS there is no need to interfere.

“It is also a fact that under the Speaker and leadership of the Senate, there is no automaticity of opposition and antagonism to the Executive. The role of the Legislature is not to be antagonistic as a matter of routine, but to be partners for good governance for the people of Nigeria. They are working together to make Nigeria better.”

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.”