A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Senator Alex Kadiri has urged party members from the North Central Zone to concentrate on securing the National Chairmanship of the APC instead of dissipating energy in seeking for the presidency in 2023.
The ex-lawmaker who represented Kogi East from 1999 to 2003 at the National Assembly stated this in a chat with a select team of journalists in Abuja on Sunday.
He called on prospective Presidential aspirants from the North Central zone to perish the thought of succeeding Muhammadu Buhari in 2023, saying there is nobody of substance from the zone fit for the exalted office.
“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 say my mind now.”
According to him, the ruling party will be doing itself a world of good by having Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi and Borno state governor, Babagana Zulum to run on a joint ticket in 2023.
Justifying his call for a President of Southern extraction, the former lawmaker said other geo-political zones have had their share of plum offices since the return to democracy in 1999.
“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 Igbo 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 Igbo 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. If Amaechi and Zulum can put their acts together, this country can move forward.”
Away from national politics, Kadiri also chided Governor Yahaya Bello for “doing nothing since his administration came on board a few years ago.”
“There are no development efforts going on in any of the senatorial districts in Kogi state including his (governor) own. He tried rushing one bridge in his home town and after two weeks, the bridge collapsed. Nothing is going on in Kogi East and there is no federal presence apart from the Federal Polytechnic, Idah which has been there for years,” he added.
