Senator Orji Kalu has urged the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to throw its weight behind a presidential candidate from the North East if the party will not give it all to hopefuls from the Southeastern region of the country.
In a statement on Thursday, Kalu was of the opinion that as the primary elections for political parties draw closer, it is important to pay attention to which geopolitical zone gets the presidential tickets of the two major political parties – the All Progressive Congress (APC) and the PDP.
He said, “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,” Kalu argued.
“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 clamor 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 lawmaker explained.
According to him, if in any circumstances, the PDP fails to give its ticket to the South East, he would encourage the party for fairness and equity to support the North East. He added that in that situation, the North East could produce candidates for the two major political parties.
While acknowledging that his position may not be palatable to ‘the theorists’ and to the few who are emotive to the core, the former Abia State governor maintained that the real “fairness, equity, and justice” is what he stands for.
The Senator in buttressing the reason for his stand regarding the 2023 presidency, said Nigeria is a large country where justice is the only means to strengthen the unity of the nation.
