Veteran Nollywood actor, Pete Edochie, has endorsed, his son, Yul’s presidential ambition in 2023 election.
Yul, who ran for governor in Anambra State under the Democratic People’s Congress has hinted that he will seek election as Nigeria’s president in 2023.
Named after the popular Russian actor, Yul Brynner, Yul is the last of six children of the veteran actor.
Yul revealed his father’s full support for his presidential ambition on his Instagram page on Thursday, February 11.
The actor posted a less-than-three-minute video tagged: “My Father Chief Pete Edochie endorses my 2023 Presidential ambition. God Almighty, take absolute control”.
In the video, Mr Edochie, who said he has never nursed any political ambition, said he decided to endorse his son’s presidential ambition following pleas from his fans and young people “who believe in his son”.
“They have bothered me so much that today, I hereby present him to you. He has my blessing. He has my endorsement”. Listing some admirable qualities of Yul, Pete said he is disciplined, sympathetic, and believes in people’s potentials.
“My values are very strong. I have my children and they are very strong in that regard too. I am not one to be involved in politics, but you see, not all your children are bound to follow your steps,” he said.
“One of my sons, who incidentally is an actor, has decided that he wants to be a politician. Most of the youngsters have been bugging my phone asking me to endorse my son that they want him as president and l get amused. But they keep insisting daddy, we want Yul to be the president of this country.
“Any day he decides to go off from the discipline under which he was raised, l will withdraw him from the race. It shall be well with him. Since it has been your ambition to go into politics and the desire to run for the presidency of this country, may the good Lord assist you, protect and direct you” Pete Edochie ended his speech with prayers.
Yul, 38, ran for governor in Anambra State under the Democratic People’s Congress in 2017.
He was later appointed Senior Special Assistant (SSA) on Creative & Entertainment Media to the Anambra State Governor, Willie Obiano, in July 2018.
The actor, however, resigned a few months later and defected from APGA to join the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), stating his decision was in a bid to support the presidential ambition of the former vice-president, Atiku Abubakar, who was the candidate of the party.
Meanwhile, Dave Umahi, governor of Ebonyi state, said the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) would soon address the growing clamours for the Igbo presidency come 2023.
The governor expressed this confidence on Wednesday, February 10, while addressing the press after meeting with the Governor Mai Mala Buni of Yobe.
Umahi also berated people making “wrong personal views” on the issue of the southeast producing the next president for the country.
He described APC as the only party that can grant the Igbo people’s wishes, saying the ruling side will address the southeast’s demands “as a family affair”.