Nigeria's president announces candidacy for January poll

Sep 15, 2010, 13:40 GMT

Nairobi/Abuja - Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan on Wednesday ended months of speculation by indicating he will run in January's presidential polls.

Jonathan was confirmed as president in May after the death of Umaru Yar'Adua, who had suffered from a long illness.

'Today, I confirm that after wide and thorough consultations ... I Goodluck Ebele Jonathan by the grace of God hereby offer myself and

my services to the Nigerian people as a candidate for the office of president in the forthcoming 2011 elections,' he said in a statement on his Facebook page.

The ruling People's Democratic Party last month ruled Jonathan could run in 2011, overturning an unwritten policy that its candidate must alternate between the mainly-Muslim north and Christian and animist south every eight years.

Yar'Adua was a northerner, and only in his first four-year term, while Jonathan is a southerner.

Jonathan, who many Nigerians feel has performed well in his short time in office, said he would make a formal announcement of his candidacy in Abuja on Saturday.

Elections in Africa's most-populous nation have been marred by violence and fraud and the next president will have many challenges to face, including growing religious violence in central Nigeria, massive corruption and energy shortages.

'In presenting myself for service, I make no pretense that I have a magic wand that will solve all of Nigeria's problems or that I am the most intelligent Nigerian,' Jonathan said.