2023 Presidency: Orji Kalu Drums Support For North-East Region

The Senate Chief Whip, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, has opined that for fairness and equity, the two main political parties, All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) should zone their presidential tickets to the North-East geopolitical region.

The former Abia State governor, in a statement, maintains that that way justice will be closer to the South-East.

In the statement titled: 2023 Presidency: “If not South East, Let PDP Support North East”, Kalu said he is not unaware that his position may not be palatable to ‘the theorists’ and to the few who are emotive to the core, but that the real “fairness, equity and justice” is what I stand for”.

According to him, If there is any zone that understands the pains of South-Eastern Nigeria for being shut out of the presidential seat, it is its counterpart, the North-East. He says the two zones remain the only zones that are yet to produce a president despite having the most capable hands to govern the country.

“I believe in regional zoning and I will continue to repeat it as long as the issue of ‘equity, fairness and justice is concerned. My reason is not only because it worked in 1999 when all the parties zoned their presidential tickets to the South-West, but because it is the only true definition of fairness and equity.

“My clamour for the South-East to produce the president after President Muhammadu Buhari was borne out of the enormous clamour and desire for the development and strengthening of our dear nation. I have also maintained that anything less than South-East must be North-East, otherwise, it is hypocrisy and wickedness.

“The South-East has given its full support to the South-West and the South-South and when it got to the turn of the South-East, the language changed to “Power is not given but taken.”

“In the absence of this clear non-agreement of the Southern brothers to support zoning of the tickets to the South-East, I wielded my support to the North-East with the hope that justice is closer to the South-East.

The senator representing Abia North Senatorial District in the National Assembly further stressed that if in any circumstances, the PDP fails to give its ticket to the South-East, he would encourage the party to support the North-East. “In that situation, the North-East could produce candidates for the two major political parties”.