By Adesina Soyooye
Former Governor of Abia State, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, has pulled out of the 2023 Presidential race.
Kalu, also, tackled other aspirants from the South- west and South-south, especially, on the banners of the All Progressives Congress, APC, and the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, for throwing their hats into the ring, instead of supporting the South-east, seeing that their Zones had fully occupied the Presidential and Vice Presidential seats before.
In pulling out of the race, Kalu said it is an exercise in futility for any Igbo to dare without the support of other regions. He described it as “a shadow chase for a South Easterner to be President” under such circumstances.
Kalu: “The situation in Nigeria is that without the support of other regions, it would amount to a shadow chase for a South Easterner to be President.
“This is the reason I have been in the frontline of the call that the two major political parties, the All Progressives Congress and the Peoples Democratic Party should zone their Presidential tickets to the South-east as they did for the South-west in 1999.
“In the absence of the zoning, I shall return to the Senate and stay away from the Presidential contest.
“The reality is that the North is more advantageous to win elections in this democratic setting”
In a statement on Tuesday, April 26, 2022, Orji who is the Chief Whip of the Senate, tackled Presidential aspirants from the South-west and South-south, accusing them of having no respect or feelings for the South-east Region.
He said: “It is embarrassing that these aspirants from both the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have no single respect and concern for the South East”.
He noted that the ‘’unfairness, inequity and injustice’’ the South-east region is suffering do not touch them.
The aspirants from both the APC and PDP to the office of the President from the South-South and South-west, include Vice President Professor Yemi Osinbajo, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, Nyesom Wike, Rotimi Amaechi, Udom Emmanuel. Others from the North are former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, former Senate President, Bukola Saraki, Governors Aminu Tambuwal, Bala Mohammed and Yahaya Bello of Sokoto, Bauchi and Kogi States respectively.
Kalu: “I am even shocked with the number of aspirants coming from the South-west and the South-south. It is embarrassing that these aspirants (APC and PDP) have no single respect and concern for the South East. I had thought they would think about the South East; I thought they would support us.
“The amount of money being spent by these aspirants is alarming and they have forgotten that money alone cannot buy the presidency.
“It has become a joke to an ordinary Nigerian who hears Southern commentators and aspirants rooting for a Southern President on the premise of fairness, equity and justice. How can you talk about these morals when you are not even fair to your own brothers?
“If there is anything like “fairness”, “equity” and “justice”, it should be the entire South pushing for a president of South East extraction. Anything less than that is hypocritical”, unjustifiable and inordinate.
“Some ‘persons’ are even claiming God’s anointed choice in 2023 . Unfortunately, it is not all prayers that God answers; at least not inordinate ones.
“What moral justification does a Southerner who refused to be fair to his brothers have against a Northerner running for president? It will be very insensitive , unreasonable and disrespectful for any Southern man to criticize a presidential aspirant from the North on the ground that the North has done eight years and power should return to the South.
“The South-west and the South-south have successfully completed their tenures as President and Vice President. They should have the courage to support their brothers from the South-east. If the next President after President Muhammadu Buhari does not come from the South-east , there would be nothing unfair and unjust if he/she comes from Daura.”
However, not a few people knew, from the onset, that Kanu was not serious in his Presidential aspiration. They point out a couple of obstacles against him including his case with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, for which he is being prosecuted at a Federal High Court.
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