House of Representatives speaker Femi Gbajabiamila has promised to help APC presidential candidate Bola Tinubu find a running mate ahead of the 2023 presidential election.

Mr Tinubu admitted to Mr Gbajabiamila, during the latter’s birthday bash, that he was still searching for a suitable running mate after submitting a dummy to INEC.

“You said in your address that many years ago you consulted with a younger brother on the issue of WAEC and that consultation bore fruits,” Mr Gbajabiamila told Mr Tinubu at an event marking his 60th birthday in Abuja on Sunday. “I give you my own parting shot. It is that time again to consult with your younger brother. I will give you a running mate that you will enjoy working with.”

The APC presidential candidate had earlier submitted the name of Ibrahim Kabir Massari from Katsina as a running mate to meet INEC’s deadline.

The erstwhile Lagos governor praised the speaker’s commitment and doggedness.

“As a minority leader, he consults wide 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. When he was challenged for the position of the speaker, I think after our merger he worked for me tirelessly. Femi is a workaholic. The problem of failure stared him at the face. He lost the election to become the speaker,” recalled Mr Tinubu.

He added, “I was close to tears. Stamping my foot to the ground, I said we will win again. Femi keep up. Pick 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 textbooks and other authors.”

While acknowledging Mr Gbajabiamila’s role in his emergence as APC presidential candidate, Mr Tinubu stated, “What you did during my primary is a story for another day.”