2023 Presidency : Senator Orji Kalu Dumps Igbo Presidency, Supports North

<h4>2023 Presidency &colon; Senator Orji Kalu Dumps Igbo Presidency&comma; Supports North<&sol;h4>&NewLine;<p>Senator Orji Uzor Kalu&comma; representing Abia North and Chief Whip of the 9th Senate has dumped the clamour for 2023 Igbo Presidency&period;In a statement he personally signed on Monday&comma; he advanced reasons for his actions as reproduced below<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&&num;8221&semi; I congratulate my friend&comma; former roommate and boss &comma; Senator Ahmad Lawan as he picks form to run for President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria under our great party &comma; All Progressives Congress &lpar;APC&rpar; &period; I am most glad because he is from the North East &comma; the only zone alongside South East that is yet to produce President of Nigeria&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>I have always maintained an unambiguous stand that for justice &comma; equity and fairness in our country&comma; the next president of Nigeria after President Muhammadu Buhari should come from the South East or the North East &period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>I have also told Nigerians that I would only run for president if the two major political parties &lpar;APC and PDP&rpar; zone their tickets to the South East &period; That is why I was disappointed with our southern brothers who are talking about fairness and equity but has zero tolerance for the same fairness and equity in the South &period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>In the absence of a South Easterner being president of Nigeria in 2023 &comma; I have my full support for a North Easterner &period; This is because it would be the closest to the equity &comma; fairness and Justice everyone is talking about &period; It further means that the justice is on its way to the South East &period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>I thank those who said they have picked presidential form for me because they meant well for Nigerians &period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>However&comma; since there is no zoning and the contest is open to all Nigerians &comma; I officially withdraw from presidential contest in 2023&period; I have also picked ticket to run for Abia North Senatorial zone and to complete the good work I started in Abia North &period;&&num;8221&semi;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>I urge all my friends &comma; allies and supporters in the APC to toe the line of justice by supporting Senator Ahmad Lawan &comma; a North Easterner for the presidential ticket of the APC<&sol;p>&NewLine;