Ex-Governor officially joins race to battle Buhari for President's seat in 2019 election

Former Kano State governor, Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso, has officially declared his intention to run for president in the 2019 presidential election.

The former governor made his anticipated announcement to a sea of supporters at Chida Hotel in Utako, Abuja, on Wednesday, August 29, 2018.

In his declaration speech, the serving lawmaker said he'll offer Nigerians something different from the crop of leaders who created the country's present problems. He said he'll lead the country into a future that all Nigerians can be equally proud of.

He said, "Today, I declare that I am going to vie for the office of President Federal Republic of Nigeria under the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party.

"I stand on my honour to offer a paradigm shift in leadership. There is no gainsaying that all is not well with the polity. It is also clear that the same mindset that created and escalated the problems cannot be used in resolving the ongoing crises in our nationhood and national development.

"I intend to offer positive change. Change has again become inevitable. To live is to witness changes because change is an inseparable part of living. Come May 2019, the narrative of helplessness, buck- passing, division, poverty, insecurity, and hopelessness must change to turn to a new dawn of confidence in building a one well restructured Nigeria.

"I assure you that while I do not have the prophetic power to predict the future, we certainly have in us the ability to create the future that we want.

"On this day, as I stand before you, I offer you a value-based leadership anchored on our national ethics as outlined in Chapter 2 of Section 23 of our Constitution.

"We will provide a leadership where everybody is free and equal; where Nigerians see themselves as Nigerians first and as Ibo, Yoruba, Hausa, Ijaw, Ibibio, Fulani, etc second; where citizens are self-assured and self-assertive; where they are confident and competent; where they want to do what is right no matter whose ox is gored. I want to lead a Nigeria where people are educated and exposed beyond the confines of their tribe, religion, linguistic group or place of birth.

"I want to lead a Nigeria where citizens respect their leaders, and leaders lead and forge a team to promote and protect the interest of all Nigerians.

"I want to lead a Nigeria where all are comfortable anywhere and on any positive issue can compete fairly with their peers without favour or discrimination. That is the kind of Nigeria we envision. We will abandon the failed relics of the past. We have all it takes to make Nigeria good and relevant for all."

National chairman of the factional Reformed All Progressives Congress (R-APC), Buba Galadima, former Kano State deputy governor, Hafiz Abubakar, and former Edo State governor, Lucky Igbinedion, were some of the high profile politicians present at Kwankwaso's declaration.

PDP's list of presidential aspirants expands

Kwankwaso joins a growing list of aspirants hoping to win the presidential ticket of the People's Democratic Party (PDP) and will battle former vice president, Atiku Abubakar, Gombe State governor, Ibrahim Dankwambo, and former governors, Sule Lamido, Attahiru Bafarawa, Jonah Jang, as well as a potential rival in current Senate President, Bukola Saraki.