Erstwhile governor of Abia State and senator representing Abia North Senatorial District in the National Assembly, Sen Orji Uzor Kalu has officially withdrawn from the 2023 presidential contest.
Orji Kalu was quoted to have made this public in a statement through his verified social media page, citing the failure of the All Progressives Congress, APC, to zone the seat to South East.
He congratulated the Senate president Ahmed Lawam for picking the presidential nomination form, describing him as his friend and roommate. Kalu said if the APC and the PDP fails to zone the seat to South East region it should be left open.
Authoritative sources within the OUK political family told NewsCritic online that Kalu would emerge the Senate president in the event that senator Ahmed Lawan becomes the president.
The source said that picking the APC ticket for Abia North Senatorial race is a done deal for Kalu, as according to them Chief Ikechi Emenike is incapable of denying Kalu the ticket.
Orji Kalu’s withdrawal from the race didn’t come as a surprise to many political followers, including this reporter having demonstrated lack of seriousness in contest, which could be attributed to his low approval rating.
Already Kalu has procured the APC expression of Interest and Nomination forms for the senate.
