Governor of Ebonyi State, Dave Umahi, has joined the 2023 presidential election race, declaring his decision to vie for the number one seat. He met behind closed doors with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, and said he would not be weighed down by Tinubu's entry into the race. He argued that the opposition party was not ready to cede the 2023 ticket to the Southeast, and that he stands a better chance if the APC throws the ticket open. He also proposed a political solution to the prevailing insecurity in the Southeast, which he said should not interfere with the judicial process. Senator Orji Uzor Kalu has declared his readiness to contest the APC Presidential ticket in 2023, if the party zones it to the South. He believes his own region, the Southeast, is ripe for the Presidency and has all it takes to match Tinubu's grit for grit and campaign for campaign.