Former Jigawa state Governor, Alhaji Sule Lamido, has appealed to political stakeholders across the country to avoid the issue of zoning as a criterion for leadership selection in 2023.
Instead, he opined that Nigerians with proven track record of trustworthiness who also have national outlook like Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal of Sokoto state should be encouraged to pick up the challenge of running for the position of President of the country.
A press statement by Muhammad Bello, Special Adviser Media and Publicity to governor Tambuwal revealed that Lamido made the call on Tuesday when he received Governor Tambuwal and his entourage who visited him in his Bamaina country home in Birnin Kudu local government area of Jigawa state.
The visit was the governor’s first leg of nationwide consultations on whether or not he should seek to run for the position of President under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
The PDP chieftain, who was also one time minister of foreign affairs expressed concern that all previous efforts made to stabilise the country has been bastardised in recent times by the worrisome upsurge of ethnicity and religious schisms.
According to him, these trends needs to be reversed, pointing out that what is needed is competent leaders with sterling qualities such as Tambuwal.
“Our son here, is like me. We have similar and parallel positions in government. I have even held more sensitive positions than him,” he said, jocularly, emphasizing that he is “looking forward to having” the governor as a worthy successor, who is eminently qualified to run for the highest office in the land should he chose to do so.”
He added that he was ready to support Governor Tambuwal if he opts to seek PDP’s ticket to be its flag bearer, provided he will be a “pan Nigerian that will be just.”
“We can reach out to all Nigerians across the geographic and other divides in our bid to support him.
“This does not suggest that we are beggars hungry for power. Instead, we are worthy stakeholders with friends in many parts of the country who we can persuade to see reason with us in the realization of the Nigerian Project,” Lamido stated.
In his remarks, former governor of Sokoto state, Alhaji Attahiru Dalhatu Bafarawa, who expressed gratitude to Lamido for the warm reception accorded them, said the visit was not political but consultative.
“You are not just a former governor but a great political mobilizer who people still respect and follow despite the fact that you have been out of office for almost seven years now,” he said.
Governor Tambuwal was accompanied during the visit by the deputy governor of Zamfara state, Barrister Mahdi Aliyu Gusau, former deputy governor of Sokoto state, Alhaji Mukhtar Shagari, former minister for power, Engr. Bello Suleiman, and former chairman of the PDP, Alhaji Bello Muhammad.
Others in Governor Tambuwal’s entourage are former Director Counterterrorism in the office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), Gen Sarkin-Yaki Bello and Hon. Aminu Musa Koko.
The August visitors, led by Mustapha Sule Lamido, son of their host, were welcomed at Dutse International Airport by a large and joyous crowd that rode and drove with the governor’s motorcade at snail speed for about two hours in a journey that is less than 30 to Bamaina, Lamido’s town.
