More than 24 hours after a former governor picked the presidential nomination and expression of interest forms for Dimeji Bankole, the former Speaker of the House of Representatives has kept sealed lips on aspiration.
Mahmud Shinkafi, a former governor of Zamfara State, on Friday picked the N100 million forms at the All Progressives Congress (APC) secretariat in Abuja on behalf of Mr Bankole.
The move puts Mr Bankole in the league of over one dozen members of the ruling party who had declared their intention to secure the party’s ticket ahead of the 2023 presidential election.
Aspirants who have picked the presidential nomination forms in the party include Vice President Yemi Osinbajo; the APC national leader, Bola Tinubu; Governors Yahaya Bello and Dave Umahi of Kogi and Ebonyi, respectively; former Imo State governor, Rochas Okorocha; Minister of State for Education Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba; and the only female aspirant, Uju Kennedy.
Others are Governors Kayode Fayemi and Abubakar Badaru of Ekiti and Jigawa, respectively; the founder of Citadel Global Community Church (formerly known as Latter Rain Assembly), Tunde Bakare; Nicholas Felix; Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi; former Senate President, Ken Nnamani; and Minister of Labour and Productivity Chris Ngige.
Mr Bankole did not respond to multiple requests for comments from PREMIUM TIMES. He did not respond to phone calls and messages on Friday and Saturday.
The former House Speaker, who became the youngest to occupy the position after he was elected in 2007, defected to the APC last year.
He served as the Speaker of the House of Representatives between 2007 and 2011 as a member of the Peoples Democratic Party.
He ran for governor in Ogun State in 2019 on the platform of the Action Democratic Party.
Read our earlier breaking news on the topic below.
A former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Dimeji Bankole, has joined the list of aspirants on the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) platform seeking the party’s presidential ticket.
PREMIUM TIMES learnt that a former Zamfara State governor, Mahmud Shinkafi, picked the N100 million expression of interest and nomination forms in Abuja on behalf of Mr Bankole.
Mr Shinkafi was accompanied by some APC chieftains.
Mr Bankole confirmed the development but declined to give details.
Details later…
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