Position of Nigerian president cannot be purchased, says Kalu

By Sylvanus Isa

In a veiled reference to politicians who believe that they can purchase the position of Nigerian president with money, a former governor of Abia State, Dr Orji Uzor Kalu, said their belief was unfounded in historical facts.

Watchers of the scramble for the 2023 presidency say that Kalu may be referring to the duo of Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu and Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, although he did not mention names in his consequential intervention.

Tinubu, a stupendously rich Nigerian politician, is seeking to become the presidential standard bearer of the governing All Progressives Congress, APC, in the 2023 election.

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Tinubu had been reported to have said that the presidency of Nigeria was his life-long ambition.

On the other hand, Atiku Abubakar, also stupendously rich, has already emerged the presidential candidate of the leading opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.

He is known to have spent multi-billion naira on each of his presidential enterprises since 2007, with the current 2023 effort providing another opportunity for a bazaar.

But Kalu, who himself is also stupendously rich, has been tactical in his quest for the presidency in the light of his knowledge that the position could not be taken single handed by any politician on the strength of warchest.

The Chief Whip of the Senate had long decided to approach the presidential contest with tact,  telling close allies that except a national consensus was built around his candidature in which case he would not need to deploy his resources in search of the coveted position, he would not venture into it.

Read Kalu’s intervention on the matter of financial deployment in the quest for Nigerian presidency: “The earliest Nigerians and presidential aspirants understand that no amount of money can buy the president of the country, the better for everyone.

“It is only cohesion and consensus among the regions that can produce a president. If you throw in money, a majority of the electorate will collect the money but still vote according to their conscience.

“If money can buy the office of the president of Nigeria, the late MKO Abiola could have bought it with extra change. If money can buy the president, former President Goodluck Jonathan could have bought the presidential seat in 2015.

“I urge President Muhammed 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 serious and protect his legacy.

“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 goes 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.”