Leading presidential aspirant of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Governor of Sokoto State, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, has said that he will be a president for all Nigerians no matter their religion, tribe or region.

Addressing PDP delegates Akure, Ondo State, Tambuwal said Nigeria of today needs a cosmopolitan leader and not an ethnic jingoist. His words: “We are here to present to you this project and a personality that is pan Nigerian and one that will represent the collective aspiration and desires of the Nigerian people, not an ethnic jingoist or ethnic chauvinist.

“Therefore we require a very courageous leadership to take back our country from this cabal.”

Earlier, Governor Tambuwal informed his hosts: “We are here on this soil of Ekiti land where I own a number of chieftaincy titles and where I have lots of friends, to share with you this project – the aspiration to provide dynamic leadership for our country.”

He appealed to the Ekiti delegates to “choose a personality that is pan-Nigeria and not an ethnic jingoistic”, pointing out that “Nigeria today is at a crossroad and so we require a courageous leadership to wrestle power from this cabal.”

Tambuwal commended Governor Fayose, who is the chairman of PDP Governors’ Forum, for the role he played by providing the much-needed leadership, not only in Ekiti state, but also standing out as the voice for the opposition in Nigeria, particularly “after the loss of election in 2015 and after the Sheriff saga.”

Tambuwal told the delegates that the only condition for the emergence of the type of leadership that Nigeria understands would be “if the delegates elect the person who understands the dynamics of Nigeria. I have that experience because as a principal officer of the House of Representatives before becoming Speaker, I traversed the length and breadth of Nigeria and I have a fair understanding of the needs of Ekiti state and I am in a better position to respect the needs of the people.”

“I am not going to be that leader that would shut down pole from calling for restructuring. I will support and encourage restructuring and at the end of the day we shall have it,” he assured.

On his part, Governor Ayo Fayose identified the youthful age of Tambuwal, as a great asset to Nigeria.

He explained that in this digital age, only a leader with age on his side could have the stamina, mental capacity and the grasp needed to confront and find workable solutions to the serious challenges facing the nation.

He noted that besides his young ago, Tambuwal’s experience in the legislature, where he served as Speaker of the House of Representatives for four years, and as executive governor for the fourth year, eminently qualify him for the office of president.

“A man can never give what he doesn’t have. Buhari’s old age and tyrannical character cannot allow him to perform. An old man cannot perform. Anybody packaging Buhari to come back is packaging him for their personal interests,” Fayose said.

In his remarks, the Ekiti State Chairman of PDP, Barrister Gboyega Otuase, said: “When you have a failed state in Nigeria, when you have a tribalist and a religious bigot in power, you start looking for an urbane person to right the wrongs.”

He told Tambuwal that Ekiti has an interest and that as the only PDP state in the South West that is capable of altering the voting equation of the region, that interest of the state must be recognised and addressed.

In Akure, Ondo state capital, Tambuwal told the PDP delegates that he will run a 21st-century government, tackle insecurity head-on, create jobs and be fair and equitable in distribution of projects and appointments such that all parts of the country would be carried along.

He said as a president he will seek inputs from leaders of states before proposing budget estimates to the National Assembly.