The Chief Whip of the 9th Senate, Orji Uzir Kanlu has cited a lack of support from other geo-political zones as the major reason an indigene of the Southeast cannot succeed President Muhammadu Buhari in 2023.
In a statement he personally signed on Tuesday, the lawmaker called on the two major political parties in the country, the All Progressives Congress, APC and the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP to zone their tickets to the Southeast for equity and fairness.
He said other regions in the South had produced a president and a Vice since the country returned to democracy except for the Southeast.
He said he would jettison his presidential ambition and opt to return to the Senate in 2023 if the north fails to support the Igbo presidency.
“The situation in Nigeria is that without the support of other regions, it would amount to a shadow chase for a South Easterner to be President, he said.
“This is the reason I have been in the frontline of the call that the two major political parties, the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) zone their presidential tickets to the South East as they did for the South West in 1999.
“In the absence of this zoning, I shall return to the Senate and stay away from the presidential contest. The reality is that the North is more advantageous to win elections in this democratic setting”.
