2023: Zoning is Unconstitutional but Conventional, Youth Advocate Backs Orji Kalu on Southeast Presidency
- Ahead of the 2023 general elections, Senator Orji Kalu lashed out at the political elites who have refused to zone the presidency to the southeast
- A youth advocate, Ogoegbunam Kingdom, in a chat with Legit.ng agreed with the former Abia governor, noting that it's the southeast the deserves to produce Nigeria's president in 2023
- Mr Kingdom said though zoning is unconstitutional, it is conventional and is what Nigeria practices to preserve its unity
PAY ATTENTION: Click “See First” under the “Following” tab to see Legit.ng News on your Facebook News Feed!
FCT, Abuja - Orji Kalu, the senator representing Abia North, on Tuesday, April 26, criticised presidential aspirants from the southwest and the south-south over their refusal to step down for their counterparts from the southeast.
Kalu, who is also a presidential aspirant, also took a swipe at his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), and the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for failing to zone the 2023 presidency specifically to the southeast which had yet to produce a president of the country.
Source: Facebook
In a statement titled ‘2023 Presidency: The Fairness I Know,’ Kalu submitted that it would be hypocritical of those in the southwest and the south-south who criticise the North, especially in the PDP, for not conceding the ticket to the south, if the same people would not concede the position to the southeast.
PAY ATTENTION: Join Legit.ng Telegram channel! Never miss important updates!
The former governor of Abia state said:
“It is my desire and intention to run for the Presidency of Nigeria. I am committed to this pursuit, but I can’t make an official declaration to this regard without the full support of other regions. Everywhere in the world, politics is situational and that of Nigeria is exceptionally situational.
“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.”
Read also
Kogi East now voiceless in Nigeria’s state of affairs, House of Reps aspirants Okai laments
I agree with Senator Kalu, says Ogoegbunam Kingdom
Commenting on the development, Ogoegbunam Kingdom, director of the Platform for Youth and Women Development, said he "completely" agreed with Senator Kalu.
According to him, if there should be zoning in 2023, it should go to the southeast.
His words:
"I completely agree with Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, if there should be any zoning or rotation, it must clearly be the South East; we cannot call ourselves a nation and a United sovereign entity and neglect the course of unity, equity, fairness and justice," the director of the youth and women focused group said.
Mr Kingdom added that apart from a southeasterner, "it is immoral for another southerner to become president" in 2023.
He continued:
"Nigeria’s unity is paramount and non negotiable and if we are to be our brothers keeper, those from the South who claim to be advocating for ‘justice, equity & fairness must start with forming a consensus around candidates from the South East (Abia, Imo, Anambra, Enugu, Ebonyi).
"The last time an Igbo man produced a “President” was in 1963 in ‘Zik’. Why can’t we as a nation grow beyond the civil war and give the South East an opportunity to govern this great nation.
"It is ridiculous to use competence as the yardstick, where as in competence, we have credible, notable and competent candidates from the South East with incorruptible, diligent and patriotic passion for the unity, growth and stability of this nation."
Zoning is unconstitutional but conventional, says Kingdom
Speaking further, Mr Kingdom said zoning is unconstitutional but conventional.
He added:
"It is what Nigeria practices to preserve the unity of the nation. So if we are to jettison zoning in 2023, it is unjust and unfair to the interest of the South East.
"The region is wounded, bleeding, we feel annexed from this entity called Nigeria. The Igbos fought for the independence of Nigeria, and if we don’t deem an Igbo man fit to govern then the favorite song “Pharaoh let my people go by the South East is justified”.
2023: Forget southeast, Tinubu must become Nigeria's next president, Arewa leader says
Meanwhile, the leader of the Arewa Community in Southern Nigeria, Alhaji Musa Saidu, has said the north must support Asiwaju Bola Tinubu to become Nigeria’s president in 2023, as a payback for his numerous support for President Muhammadu Buhari.
Saidu, also the national coordinator of, the Arewa Initiative for Peaceful Coexistence in Southern Nigeria (AIPCSN), made this disclosure on Thursday, April 7, in Port Harcourt.
He also lent his support to the clamour for a power shift from the north to the south in 2023.
Source: Legit.ng
