TheCable

The North Central Coalition for Leadership (NCCL), a pro-north-central presidency advocacy group, has asked Alex Kadiri, a former senator, not to belittle the zone in the race for the 2023 presidency.

Kadiri, a former senator representing Kogi east, had said members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kogi state should concentrate on getting the chairmanship of the party, rather than seeking the presidency.

Yahaya Bello, Kogi governor, has indicated interest to run for the presidency in 2023.

But according to Kadiri, “nobody of substance who has the capacity to be president from north-central in 2023”.

Reacting in a statement issued on Tuesday, Charles Oluwatoyin, NCCL director-general, described the former senator’s remarks as “disparaging”.

“If truly, the former senator was a leader of the region as he vehemently claimed during the press conference he held, he would rather than diminish his own region gather the needed momentum and add his own voice to ensuring that the largely marginalized region was given the desired and overdue recognition,” Oluwatoyin said.

“According to the nation’s constitution every citizen of the country irrespective of their region was entitled to the top executive position of the country and there were several qualified and politically viable individuals from the region that have the track record and the capacity to lead the nation.”

The DG said his group is undertaking research and would soon announce who they feel is most qualified to run for the presidency.