Former Vice President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar has declared interest to run for presidential election next year.
Abubakar, 75, made the announcement while speaking to lawmakers of the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party in a meeting at an undisclosed location. The remarks were distributed in a video shared on social media on Thursday and confirmed by a spokesman.
“I chose you to be among the first set of people that I will be meeting to personally declare my intention to contest for the president of Nigeria in 2023,” Abubakar said.
The spokesman said Abubakar’s remarks were made during consultations with party stakeholders, and a formal declaration may be made in the coming weeks.
Abubakar is bidding to succeed President Muhammadu Buhari, who will complete his second and final term in May 2023. Presidential elections are scheduled for Feb. 25, according to a timetable released by Nigeria’s electoral commission last week.
Abubakar was the PDP’s presidential candidate in 2019, when he obtained 41% of the ballots cast, against Buhari’s 56%. He later mounted an unsuccessful legal challenge to the outcome of the election.
“I humbly present myself to you and seek your support to win our party’s presidential ticket,” Abubakar, who was the vice president of Nigeria from 1999 to 2007, told the group.