Nigerian vice president Yemi Osinbajo will seek the ruling All Progressives Party (APC) ticket to run for president next February, he said in Twitter message on Monday, as he bids to succeed his boss Muhammadu Buhari in Africa’s top oil producer.
Political parties in Nigeria should pick presidential candidates by June 3. Official campaigning will begin in September, according to the country’s electoral commission.
Without an incumbent on the ballot paper because Buhari is set to step down after serving two four-year terms, the February 23 race is expected to be a hotly contested affair.
“I am today, with utmost humility formally declaring my intention to run for the office of the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria on the platform of APC,” he said, ending months of speculation.
Supporters for Osinbajo as a safe pair of hands who would provide stability and pursue a more liberal economic policy, including easing of forex rules. He has previously criticised the central bank for maintaining foreign currency controls.
