Former Abia State governor, Orji Uzor-Kalu, has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to choose the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, as the consensus presidential candidate of the ruling All Progressive Congress.
President Buhari had earlier this week tasked APC governors with the challenge of selecting a consensus candidate from among the over twenty members of the party who are vying to succeed him next year.
In a statement on Thursday, Kalu, the current Chief Whip of the Senate, pointed out that a president that will be for the whole country would only emerge on the basis of cohesion and consensus among the constituent regions.
“I urge President Muhammadu Buhari, to consider giving Nigeria a man who can give the entire country a sense of belonging, fix our economy, secure all parts of the country, take education very seriously and protect his legacy,” he said in the statement.
“The man Nigerians can trust is Senator Ahmad Lawan. Picking Ahmad Lawan as the consensus candidate of the APC will heal and stabilize the country as it is the closest to equity, justice, and fairness.
“I strongly believe that the fairness Nigerians need is to produce a president from the South East of Nigeria. In the absence of the South East, it is the North East.
“These two regions are the only ones yet to produce the president of Nigeria and since the opposition has gone North East, it is ideal and wise that the APC go North East.
“I am sure Nigerians will not waste their votes on any candidate that is not from the two regions in the next year’s general elections and following years”.
Kalu had earlier shown interest in the presidency on the platform of the APC, but dropped off the contest and began to campaign for Lawan, who is from the Northeast region.
Orji’s support for Lawan, instead of his initial support for the Igbo or Southeast presidency, has drawn the ire of some people, who accuse him of supporting Lawan for a possible compensation with the Vice-Presidential slot.