Ahead of Saturday’s presidential election, Chief Whip of the Senate and former Abia governor, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, has declared that Nigerians are not ready for a president from Southeast extraction.
Speaking on the 2023 general elections in a Channels Television programme, ‘The Verdict’ on Wednesday, Kalu said Saturday’s poll would not be the best outing for Igbo people despite having one of the popular candidates, Peter Obi of the Labour Party, as their son.
The All Progressives Congress Senator representing Abia North Senatorial District emphasised the need for the region to amass bulk votes from five other regions out of the remaining six to be victorious.
Although, there are a number of contestants of Igbo extractions among the 18 presidential candidates for this year’s election.
Dismissing the chances of Obi emerging victorious in the polls, Kalu said “I’m well-experienced; I ran for President in 2007 and I’m not sure Nigerians are not yet ready for a President of Igbo extraction.
“I’m not sure because I have tried to nose around that. We have five other regions to come up with and I am not sure.
“The people of the South-East are the best professionals but not the best politicians.
“We do politics with emotions and I want Igbos to stop doing politics with emotions; I want Igbos to do practical politics.”
Kalu further expressed confidence that Tinubu will win with a landslide victory in Abia State and the Igbo-dominated zone.
*(Adapted from a report by The PUNCH)
