Orji Kalu, senate chief whip, says Rabiu Kwankwaso, former
governor of Kano, stands to benefit if the All Progressives Congress (APC) and
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) fail to field 2023 presidential candidates from
the south-east and north-east.
Less than two months ago, Kwankwaso dumped PDP to join the
New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP). The development came a few weeks after Abba
Yusuf, his son-in-law, left the main opposition party to join NNPP.
Kwankwaso, who is Kalu’s counterpart in the senate, had
subsequently declared his intention to run for president in 2023.
Reacting to the growing political appeal of NNPP, Kalu said the high profile defections to the party should be of concern to PDP and APC.
“The recent high
profile defections to the New Nigeria Peoples Party, NNPP, especially in the
north-west geo-political zone should not be taken for granted by our great
party, the All Progressives Congress ( APC),” he said.
“I’m using this opportunity to reiterate my earlier position
that the presidency should go [to] north-east if it can’t be conceded to the
south-east for equity and fairness.
“The silent majority who have a working conscience could
protest this injustice by supporting Engr. Rabiu Kwankwaso to clinch the
presidential seat in 2023 if our party, the APC, and the opposition PDP field
their candidates from any other zone aside south-east or north-east.
“It is time to unite
and rally around a zone that has not produced the nation’s president since the
rotation convention dispensation that began in 1999.”
In an earlier statement posted on Facebook on Thursday, Kalu
said neither of the two zones has produced the country’s president since 1999
despite the abundance of “capable” hands.
The former Abia governor argued that for the sake of
fairness and equity, both zones, above all others, deserve to produce the next
president.
“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. The two zones remain the only zones that are yet
to produce a president despite having the most capable hands to govern the
country,” he wrote.
“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 where all the parties zoned their presidential tickets to the south-west,
but because it is the only true definition of fairness and equity.”
On May 9, Kalu withdrew from the 2023 presidential race, throwing
his weight behind Ahmed Lawan, the senate president, for the apex seat.
Lawan is from Yobe, one of the six states from the
north-east.
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