The clamour by the South East for an opportunity to produce the next President in the February 2023 general election may have eventually materialized.
Former Governor of Abia State and the Chief Whip of the Senate, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu on Wednesday revealed that he was been pressured to be the South East candidate for the 2023 Presidential election.
Fielding questions on Wednesday from newsmen after receiving an award “Kibiya Argungu (Arrow of Argungu)” by a delegation from the Argungu Emirate in Kebbi, in Abuja, Senator Kalu disclosed that “everywhere I go people are disturbing me to be President.”
He added that he may run for President if more parts of the country join in the call.
He however added that he would like to retire to his farm after his tenure as Senator.
“Everywhere I go people are disturbing me to be President but I’ve no such thing in my mind. But I’ll go for it if agreed by other regions.”
While assessing the performance of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration over the last six years, the Senate Chief Whip said that the government has done well in the areas it focused on.
He asserted that the federal government has properly utilized the foreign loans borrowed from international financial institutions.
On security, he noted that “the federal government has done well in driving away insurgency to the border though we’re not 100 percent right. There are areas that need improvement.”
He called on politicians to focus on providing good governance and to shun the temptation to start working for the 2023 elections.
According to him, there is still enough time to prepare for the elections and politicians should concentrate on the unity of the country.
On Nnamdi Kalu and insecurity in the South East, he urged Buhari to “look passionately towards the South East, listen to them and solve the problem behind close doors.”
According to him, the President should set up a committee to address the grievances of the youths of the area.
Senator Kalu also called on South East Governors to interface with the youths towards finding a lasting solution to the problems bedeviling the area.
