A presidential aspirant of the People’s Redemption Party (PRP), Engr. (Dr.) Yakubu Mohammed Kingsley (YMK), has pledged to promote broad-based governance and greater inclusion if elected president of Nigeria.

Kingsley, who is awaiting the November 2, 2026 judgment of the Federal High Court on the party’s presidential primary election dispute, said Nigeria’s diversity should be harnessed as a source of national strength, unity, creativity and shared prosperity.

He stated this yesterday in a statement made available to journalists in Abuja.
According to him, Nigeria belongs to all its citizens and its government must reflect the country’s ethnic, cultural, religious, professional, political and regional diversity.

“My vision under the YMK Nigeria Project is to build an inclusive government in which legitimate interests have voices and Nigerians will have fair opportunity to contribute to the development of the nation,” he said.

Kingsley said public offices should not be used as political rewards, while appointments should not be based on ethnicity, religion, political affiliation or personal loyalty.

He said his proposed administration would be guided by merit, integrity, representation, transparency and accountability.
“Appointments must be based on the competence required for the office, while ensuring that no region, state, community, gender or generation is systematically excluded from national participation.

“Federal character must therefore become more than a constitutional principle invoked during political arguments; it must become a transparent and measurable instrument of governance,” he said.

The aspirant, who is challenging in court the declaration of Donald Duke as winner of the May 25 presidential primary, said he would establish a transparent public appointments framework through which Nigerians could assess the geographical, professional and other relevant dimensions of representation.

He said the framework would help reduce accusations and counter-accusations over appointments in the country.

Kingsley said inclusion should go beyond political appointments, stressing that political parties, professional bodies, religious organisations, traditional institutions, civil society groups, academia, labour, the private sector, women and youth organisations, persons with disabilities, Nigerians in the Diaspora and community groups all had legitimate contributions to make to national development.

“While government must remain constitutionally neutral, particularly in matters of religion and partisan politics, it must maintain structured channels for consultation with these constituencies and draw from their knowledge, experience and reach.

“The YMK administration will promote a broad-based national consultation mechanism through which these interests can contribute to policymaking, monitor implementation and provide constructive feedback,” he said.

He added that governance must not be confined to Abuja or the political class, arguing that government should listen to citizens who experience the consequences of its decisions.

Kingsley also called for greater attention to minority and indigenous communities whose voices, he said, were sometimes lost in Nigeria’s larger ethnic and regional politics.

He listed communities including the Berom, Gbagyi, Tiv, Idoma, Igala, Ebira, Nupe, Jukun, Tangale, Waja, Bachama and Kanuri in the North, as well as the Ijaw, Efik, Ibibio, Annang, Ogoni, Itsekiri, Urhobo, Isoko and Esan communities in other parts of the country.

“No Nigerian is too small to matter, and no community is too small to be heard,” he said.

He added that women, young Nigerians, Nigerians in the Diaspora and persons with disabilities should have meaningful opportunities to participate in leadership and national development.

The PRP aspirant said the principle of inclusion should also apply to the management of Nigeria’s natural resources.
“It is unacceptable that communities where petroleum, gas and solid minerals are extracted should continue to experience poverty, environmental degradation and inadequate infrastructure,” he said.

Kingsley proposed greater participation by resource-producing communities through transparent community obligations, employment and skills opportunities, infrastructure development, environmental protection, effective grievance mechanisms and accountable development programmes.

He also advocated a shift from an economy that largely extracts and exports raw materials to one that creates industries and prosperity from Nigeria’s natural resources.

According to him, oil and gas should increasingly support domestic refining, power generation, fertiliser, methanol, petrochemicals and other industrial value chains.

He added that solid minerals should similarly support processing, manufacturing and technology-based industries, while ensuring that such activities remain economically viable and environmentally responsible.