Ken Nnamani: I’ll support APC even if south-easterner doesn’t get presidential ticket

Ken Nnamani, a former president of the senate, says he will support the All Progressives Congress (APC) even if a south-easterner isn’t elected as the party’s presidential candidate. 

Nnamani, a presidential aspirant in APC, spoke on Monday during an interview on Channels Television.

Recently, there have been calls from stakeholders in the south-east that the next president of the country should come from the region.

On Sunday, APC south-east presidential hopefuls met in Abuja and resolved that they would support any Igbo candidate who gets the APC ticket.

Nnamani, Rochas Okorocha, former Imo governor; Ogbonnaya Onu, former minister of science and technology; Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba, former minister of state for education; and Uju Ken-Ohanenye, a female aspirant, were present at the meeting.

However, David Umahi, governor of Ebonyi and presidential hopeful, who was also scheduled to attend the meeting, was absent.

Asked if he will support the APC if the the presidential candidate isn’t a south-easterner, the former senate president said he will support the party to build on the legacies of President Muhammadu Buhari.

“We will support our party to make sure we retain power, serve Nigerians and improve on the legacies of the present administration,” he said.

Asked whether he will be disappointed if the south-east loses the presidential ticket, Nnamani said he would be, but his support for the party will not change.

“Yes. I will be disappointed but notwithstanding, we will still show party loyalty,” he added.

Speaking about the deadline for the conduct of primaries, the former senate president said the time stipulated by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is too short.

“On the side of the umpire, I think something is not adding up. The primaries require more time than the campaign period. The primaries are the heart of democracy,” he said.

“If primaries are well conducted, the general election will make a lot of difference. It will be less cumbersome and less acrimonious.

“The period of the primaries appears to be short as far as I can see, whereas, we should have allowed more time.”