By Cajetan Mmuta
Former Governor of Anambra State and Minister for Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige said he will consult President Muhammadu Buhari before making known his ambition to contest for the presidency come 2023 elections.
He also dismissed reports in some quarters that the All Progressives Congressman (APC) has zoned the presidential ticket of the party to the South West.
Ngige described the report is unfounded and the machinations of fifth columnists fanning the confusion for the ruling party to zone the presidency to the Southwest.
Senator Ngige told newsmen Monday that he still has up to April this year before expressing his interest, pointing out that in December last year, members of his constituency as well as members of his party in Anambra had made a resolution urging him to contest.
According to him, “Our party zoned the ticket to the South and that includes the South East , South West and South South and it is up to the South East to ensure that the ticket comes to the South East”.
The Labour and Employment minister further disclosed that a former Inspector General of Police and two others had come to his office to urge him to contest for the nation’s number seat at Aso Rock.
He said, “I am still consulting and I am consulting widely before making my intensions known and don’t forget that I am highly qualified for that position and when you go to section 131of the Nigeria’s constitution you can agree with that I am qualified.”
“I am educated up to school certificate level and I am above thirty five years and I have no criminal record so I am qualified to contest.”
“What more, don’t forget that I have a boss that I am working under and I would also consult him first and seek his opinion on the ambition so until April this year I am still consulting very widely for that,” he said.
The former Anambra state Governor described those opposed to a President of South East extraction as being economical with the truth, stressing that it is only the South East that is yet to produce a President of Nigeria.
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“The South West and South South has produced President of Nigeria and it is only the South East that is yet to produce President from the South and it would be unfair for anybody to say that it is not our turn,” he stated.
Ngige explained that the only way for the South East to show seriousness is for people from the South East to come out and contest before they say that we are only paying lip service to the ambition.
“Former Senate President Anyim Pius Anyone has declared in the PDP and this is good; we should have more of us coming out for the position and again my party has zoned the presidential ticket to the South and if the People’s Democratic Party choose to go North they would loose,” he added.
