2023 Presidency: Orji Kalu Backs Senate President Lawan, Quits Race; Picks Senate Form

By Adesina Soyooye

In an about-turn, the Senate Chief Whip, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, has decided not to back any Presidential aspirant from the South East, South West or South South.

Orji who has officially quit the Presidential race, and picked the Senatorial aspiration form, said he decided to back “his roommate and boss,” Senate President Ahmed Lawan because he is from the North East. He identified the North East as the only Zone, aside from the South East which has not produced Nigeria’s President.

Explaining why he quit the Presidential race, Kalu said it was because neither the APC nor the PDP zoned the Presidential seat to the South East.

On why he decided to go back to the Senate, he said in a statement he released in Abuja on Monday that he wanted to complete the job he started in the Senate for his constituency, Abia North.

Kalu: “I have also picked ticket to run for Abia North Senatorial zone to complete the good work I started in Abia North.

“I congratulate my friend, former roommate and boss , Sen. Ahmad Lawan, as he picks form to run for President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria under our great party, APC.

“I am most glad because he is from the North East , the only zone alongside South East that is yet to produce President of Nigeria.

“I have always maintained an unambiguous stand that for justice, equity and fairness in our country, the next President of Nigeria after President Muhammadu Buhari should come from the South East or the North East.

“I have also told Nigerians that I would only run for President if the two major political parties, APC and PDP zone their tickets to the South East.

“That is why I was disappointed with our Southern brothers who are talking about fairness and equity but has zero tolerance for the same fairness and equity in the South.

“In the absence of a South Easterner being President of Nigeria in 2023, I have my full support for a North Easterner.

“This is because it would be the closest to the equity, fairness and Justice everyone is talking about. It further means that the justice is on its way to the South East.

“I urge all my friends, allies and supporters in the APC to toe the line of justice by supporting Sen. Ahmad Lawan, a North Easterner for the presidential ticket of the APC.”

Until in the last few days, the South had taken it for granted that the APC had zoned the office of the President to the South.