Orji Kalu Reacts As Atiku Emerges PDP Presidential Candidate, Sends Message To Buhari

Senate Chief Whip, Orji Uzor Kalu has reacted to the emergence of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar as the flagbearer of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the 2023 presidential election.

Naija News reports Atiku defeated all other aspirants with a wide margin to emerge the winner of Saturday’s primary election held at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium in Abuja.

Atiku who polled a total of 371 votes ahead of Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike, will now be the official candidate of the PDP for the 2023 presidential election in Nigeria.

Reacting to the development in a statement on Sunday, Kalu called on President Muhammadu Buhari to immediately anoint Senate President Ahmad Lawan as his successor.

The former Abia governor said Atiku’s emergence has justified his call for a North Easterner to be elected as Nigeria’s next president.

He, therefore, asked the national leadership of APC and President Buhari to endorse the zoning of the party’s presidential ticket to the North East.

Kalu also urged all presidential aspirants on the platform of APC to drop their ambitions and support the emergence of Lawan as the party’s sole candidate.

The former presidential aspirant said the talk about the ruling party fielding a Southern President in 2023 should be jettisoned and no longer feasible.

The Senator, however, congratulated the PDP for electing the former Vice President as its presidential candidate for the 2023 general elections.

He said: “Congratulations to the PDP for electing a North Easterner. Nigerians must have seen what I saw yesterday. For our party the APC, it is no longer feasible to talk about Southern candidates except the APC wants to go on political retirement.

“I urge the National Chairman of the party and the entire NWC to stamp their feet and zone APC presidential ticket to the North East.

“President Muhammad Buhari has a right to choose his successor and I call on him to pick Senator Ahmad Lawan as his successor. In every democratic setting, presidents and Governors support and pick their successors.

“I call on President Buhari to pick a successor from the North East and that will be the equity the South East needs. With the North East, the cycle will be closest to the completion of regions producing the president of Nigeria.

“By now, all APC aspirants should drop their ambition and support a North Easterner. Senator Ahmad Lawan is the destination.

“Congratulations to the North East as we look forward to a president of Nigeria from the North East.”

This article was originally published on Nigeria News