The Senate Chief Whip, Sen Orji Kalu, says the Igbos would be the biggest beneficiary of a Bola Tinubu presidency if he wins in 2023, saying voting against the APC candidate will be madness.
According to Kalu, the 2023 presidential race is not a regional issue, advising Igbos to pitch their tent with the APC and Tinubu.
Kalu made the statement in Abuja on Tuesday, September 20, 2022, while addressing the press. He described the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate as a strategist.
“Let me be honest with you, we were governors together, he is a strategist, and he will make the presidency benefit the Igbos. The Igbo people are going to be the biggest beneficiary of Tinubu’s presidency and you will see it. Hold me responsible,” he said.
Kalu stated that although he wasn’t against a president of Igbo extraction, becoming Nigeria’s president isn’t a regional issue.
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Kalu said “I have no problem with an Igbo man becoming president, but we have to do it with other Nigerians. If you don’t do it with other Nigerians, it’s not going to work, no matter how popular you are, this is the president of Nigeria not the president of Igbo land.
“Mind you, I am an Igbo man to the core, I am also a Nigerian to the core and nobody can take that away from me. If anyone is to be nominated as president of Igbo extraction, I could have been the one, but I see it is not feasible yet,” he said.
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“This is a party business, I have no business with whoever is running, for me, it is not personal, but it is political and a party affair.
“It is about a party winning the election, I have chosen to be in APC so why should I vote against Bola Tinubu, it is madness and I am not going to do it.
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“It is the party you belong to that you will deliver, we will wait for another time to see how Nigerians will agree to zone the presidency to the east.
“But for now, our presidential candidate is Bola Ahmed Tinubu and I will vote for him,” Kalu said.
Kalu urged everyone who ran with Tinubu at the primaries to come together and deliver the party.
He further said that there was no threat of impeachment by the opposition senators against President Muhammadu Buhari.
“We have the number to defend the President and Senate President on the floor. President Buhari has done well in most areas and we also had failures in some areas.
“I know Senators were agitated about the insecurity and we have addressed the issue, we had a conference with the military,” he said.