Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the presidential candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), has narrowed down his choice of a running mate to Kaduna State governor, Nasir el- Rufai and former Borno State governor, Senator Kashim Shettima.

There has been stiff competition from stakeholders in the North-West where El-Rufai comes from and the North-East, the home base of Shettima, who is a former governor of Borno State.

While El-Rufai was a chieftain of the defunct Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), Shettima belonged to the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) faction, two out of the four legacy parties that merged in 2013 to form the APC.

Speaking with Daily Independent, an associate of Tinubu said picking the running mate has been a hard choice for Tinubu owing to several vested interests who are jostling for the position.

He, however, said Tinubu has narrowed down his choice to Governor El-Rufai and Shetimma as both men are tested politicians who can get the much-needed votes for the APC in the North.

According to him, “It is one of the key reasons why Tinubu jetted out of the country to France to have a breathing space to weigh the several options before him.