LAGOS
Former Nigerian vice president Atiku Abubakar on Wednesday announced his intention to contest the country's 2015 presidential race.
"I have been asked why I am always seeking to become the president of this country," Abubakar said at a rally in Abuja.
"My passion for governance is that of a man who wants to do more, because there is so much to be done in fixing Nigeria," he asserted.
"I want to play a leading role in the trans-generational efforts to save this country and improve the lives of our people," Abubakar told thousands of young supporters and leaders of the opposition All Progressive Congress (APC).
Abubakar, a Fulani from Nigeria's northeastern Adamawa State, was a founding member of the ruling People's Democratic Party (PDP).
He quit the party in 2006 to contest the presidency on the ticket of the now-defunct opposition Action Congress.
Abubakar later returned to the PDP, where he again contested presidential primaries in 2011.
He lost to incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan in an intraparty election that split the country along ethnic lines.
Abubakar's main rivals for the APC ticket are Gen. Muhammadu Buhari and Rabiu Kwankwaso, the current governor of Kano State, northern Nigeria's commercial capital.
The opposition party has reportedly scheduled its presidential primaries for December 2, only four days before the ruling party holds its national convention, in which Jonathan is widely expected to be endorsed as the sole candidate.
-'Generational shift'-
"Some people have argued for a generational shift to younger leaders without much experience," the 67-year-old Abubakar said.
"However, I believe that it is the responsibility of my generation to offer our political shoulders to the new generation to climb upon, improve their vision and expand their horizon," he added.
He warned that the future of Nigeria "should never again be subjected to leadership experimentation or on-the-job learning."
Abubakar and Buhari, 71, face the herculean task of convincing APC youth to concede the ticket and back them in the upcoming race.
The third challenger, 57-year-old Kwankwaso, is favored in the age debate.
Abubakar served as Nigeria's vice president from 1999 to 2007, when many far-reaching economic reforms were introduced which resulted in significant economic growth and global acceptance of the one-time pariah nation.
"In the 20 years I spent in the Nigerian public service, I built a solid reputation for myself as diligent, honest, hardworking and innovative," he said.
Although the speech lacked details regarding his plan for Nigeria, Abubakar stressed that he wanted to lead a government that would create a "Nigeria for All."
He aspires to create "a Nigeria that is not about North or South, Christian or Muslim, but about a better tomorrow, where every citizen will feel secure, act with patriotism, having assurance of the fulfillment of his or her aspirations."
Abubakar also promised to strengthen state institutions and fight corruption – a message aimed, perhaps, at Nigeria's global partners, who attribute corruption in the country to its weak institutions.
Abubakar is often questioned over his opulent lifestyle, which many consider odd for a retired public servant and former vice president.
He is reportedly wanted in the U.S. in connection with corruption charges, including a scandal involving Halliburton for which an FBI agent – suspected of being Abubakar's man – was convicted.
The former vice president, for his part, denies any wrongdoing, insisting he has nothing to answer for.
"I can visit anywhere, provided I have business to do there," Abubakar said recently, answering a question posed by Nigerian youth.
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