Former Abia Gov. Orji Uzor Kalu has said nobody from the southeastern region of Nigeria would win the 2023 presidential election in the country.
The chief whip of the Nigerian Senate stated this Tuesday while speaking with the media in Abuja shortly after Nigerian lawmakers resumed work, having returned from their annual vacation.
Uzor Kalu said the presidential race was not a regional thing and, as such, no Igbo candidate should entertain any hope of winning it.
Uzor Kalu said: “I have said this before and I repeat that an Igbo man cannot win the 2023 presidency because it is not a regional thing.
“I was in the race but when it was made clear that the presidency is not a regional issue, I had to withdraw. I have no problem with Igbo man being president.
“But we have to do it with other Nigerians. If we don’t do it with other Nigerians, it is not going to work, no matter how popular you are. It’s president of Nigeria, not president of Igboland.
“If anyone is more qualified to be the president from the South-East, that person would have been me because I am the most qualified.
“But it’s a party business. I have no grudges against anybody who is running. So, it is not personal. It is political and party. This thing is about party winning elections.
“I have chosen to be in APC. Why will I vote against Tinubu? It’s madness, and I’m not going to do it. Elections go along party line, not along tribal line.
“The Igbos should wait for another time and see whether Nigerians would agree to zone the presidency to the Igboland.
“But for now, our presidential candidate is Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Tinubu is a strategic leader, he will make his presidency beneficial to the Igbos. The Igbos will be the biggest beneficiaries of Tinubu’s presidency.”
Former Anambra Gov. Peter Obi, who’s the Labour Party’s presidential flag-bearer, is the only person from southeastern Nigeria vying for the nation’s topmost job.
