Senator Orji Uzor Kalu
South East deserves 2023 Presidency – Sen. Orji Kalu
Former Abia Governor, and Chief Whip of the Senate, Sen. Orji Uzor Kalu, has thrown his weight behind growing calls for the South East region of the country to be given a shot at the 2023 Presidency, as he, Tuesday, called on leadership of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to consider a candidate from the geo-political zone as its Presidential candidate, ahead of the party’s National Convention.
Kalu, who made the call while speaking to newsmen in Abuja on Tuesday, joined other APC chieftains from the South East region like the Ebonyi State Governor, Dave Umahi, in the call for the region to be considered for the ticket.
Umahi, has also joined in the race for the ticket following his declaration of ‘interest to contest the 2023 Presidency on the platform of the ruling APC.
Kalu, who met President Muhammadu Buhari at the State House, Tuesday, to launch his Presidential ambition, told Correspondents, that as far as the party is zoning the presidential ticket to the south, south-east should take preference to anybody else that was trying to run.
On his ambition to run for president, Kalu said; “I’m the most prepared presidential candidate in Nigeria. I’m capable health-wise, I’m capable to face anybody but our party, the APC, is supreme. I only wait for APC as a party”.
“However, I am a loyal party member, if the party decides to zone it to another zone, I will still support the candidate, but I am appealing to our Party to consider a President of the South East extraction in 2023,” he said.
While reacting to the interest of the National Leader of the APC, Mr Bola Tinubu, to contest for president, the lawmaker said while he has nothing against the aspiration of Tinubu, he believed that South-East is ripe for the presidency.
“I don’t see Tinubu’s ambition having any effect on the president of Nigeria coming from Igbo.
“We are talking based on how Nigeria should be; we are talking who people should believe in.
“No igbo man since independence has been democratically elected as president,” he said.
Meanwhile, Governor Dave Umahi of Ebonyi State has declared his interest to run for the presidency in 2023 on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The governor spoke on his ambition on Tuesday while speaking with State House reporters after a meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Umahi said he had equally informed the President just like the APC National Leader, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who disclosed his interest on Monday at the State House.
