A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the North Central, Senator Alex Kadiri, says the zone has nobody of substance at the moment that could effectively vie for the party’s presidential ticket and clinch it.
He said that it would therefore be more practical for the zone to vie for the National Chairman of the party in its next National Convention.
Kadiri, who was the senator for Kogi East from 1999 to 2003, disclosed this on Sunday in Abuja.
“I am a recognized leader in the North- Central. They invite me to all their meetings. There is nobody of substance who has the capacity to be President from North Central in 2023. Please, prove me wrong and bring that person. At my age, I am not looking for anything from anybody. I am not looking for work. I can only speak my mind now,” the ex-lawmaker told reporters.
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He also urged the party to consider a Southerner for its presidential ticket in 2023.
“Olusegun Obasanjo was President of Nigeria for eight years. Now Yemi Osinbajo is Vice President and in 2023, he would have spent eight years. I think for the sake of fairness, it is only right and proper for the people of the South-West to shelve the idea of producing the President.
“North-West should also forget it. The South-Easterners are my in-laws and there are more Igbos coming to this house than any other tribe in Nigeria because of my wife.
“So, I cannot have ill feelings towards an Igbo man. The fact of the matter is that Igbos with their republican attitude to everything can’t be President of Nigeria this present time (2023).
“Whether you like it or not, Rotimi Amaechi still stands as a viable person. He has the experience, and good health. Anybody we are considering today as President must be healthy. We can’t move from Yar’ Adua (Umaru) to Buhari (Muhammadu) and then to Tinubu (Bola). If Amaechi and Zulum can put their acts together, this country can move forward,” Kadiri said.