Orji Kalu, the Senate’s Chief Whip, stated that Nigerians are not prepared for a South-East extraction President.
This was said by Kalu on Wednesday’s episode of “The 2023 Verdict” on Channels Television.
Kalu, a former governor of Abia State, believes that the Igbo people will not have the best luck in the presidential election on February 25 because the people of the South-East need the support of five other regions in order for one of their own to become president.
He stated, “It is not the best outing for us (the Igbo people) because you need other regions to become President of Nigeria.”
Peter Obi of the Labour Party is one of the 18 presidential candidates for the Saturday election who is of Igbo descent.
Obi’s chances had been discounted by Kalu, a senatorial candidate for the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, in the Abia North Senatorial District.
“I have a lot of experience; I ran for president in 2007, but I don’t think Nigerians are yet prepared for an Igbo president. I’ve tried to nose around that, so I’m not sure. I’m not sure about the other five regions we need to come up with.
Kalu asserts that the people of the Southeast are not the best politicians but rather the best professionals.
He stated, “I want Igbos to stop doing politics with emotions; We do politics with emotions; I want Igbos to engage in real-world politics.
Kalu expressed optimism that Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, the APC presidential candidate, will prevail in Abia State and the South-East zone.
“PDP G5 govs will work for Tinubu”: Kalu added that the “G5/Integrity Group,” or five PDP governors who have been wronged, will work for Tinubu’s presidency.
Keep in mind that the G5 included Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (Enugu), Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia), Seyi Makinde (Oyo), Samuel Ortom (Benue), and Governor Nyesom Wike (Rivers).
The aggrieved governors of the PDP have been at odds with the party, demanding that the party’s national chairman, Iyorchia Ayu, step down so that a southerner can take his place as a condition of supporting Atiku Abubakar, the PDP’s flag bearer.
However, Ortom has stated his support for Obi, despite the fact that the PDP governors have not publicly announced their preferred candidate.
However, Kalu stated that he does not believe Ortom and insisted that Tinubu will benefit from the G5.
“The G5 came together, and they are working together, and I don’t even believe the governor of Benue State, possibly,” the APC legislator stated.
“…he just wants to use that (endorsement) to win an election because the G5, according to inside sources, have decided that they will only work for Senator Ahmed Bola Tinubu, the APC presidential candidate,”