Nigeria : Nigeria security adviser quits to challenge Jonathan
on 2010/9/20 9:20:52
Nigeria

20100919
africanews

ABUJA (Reuters) - Nigeria's national security adviser has resigned to run against President Goodluck Jonathan in the ruling party primaries next month, raising the stakes ahead of presidential elections in January.

Aliyu Gusau submitted his resignation letter to Jonathan, which the president accepted, on Thursday and a day later informed him he intended to enter the presidential race, his spokesman Adebisi Adekunle said, confirming a Reuters story.

"I can confirm to you that the national security adviser has resigned," Adekunle said, adding Gusau intended to collect his presidential nomination form from the ruling People's Democratic Party (PDP) offices on Monday.

Gusau's move means Jonathan -- who had been expected to travel to New York for the U.N. General Assembly late on Saturday but postponed the trip at the last minute -- will face a more challenging contest at the PDP primaries in mid-October.

Jonathan formally launched his campaign on Saturday with a rally in the capital Abuja attended by more than two thirds of the country's powerful state governors.

As the incumbent, he holds the strings of power and can be judged by voters on his performance so far, including helping to cement an amnesty in the oil-producing Niger Delta and more recently unveiling a blueprint to solve the chronic power shortages that plague Africa's most populous nation.

But although he is the front-runner, his bid is opposed by some in the ruling party because of an unwritten agreement that power should rotate between the north and south every two terms.

Jonathan inherited the presidency when president Umaru Yar'Adua, a northerner, died this year during his first term, but he is a southerner and some in the People's Democratic Party (PDP) have said the next leader must be a northerner.

Previous article - Next article Printer Friendly Page Send this Story to a Friend Create a PDF from the article


Other articles
2023/7/22 15:36:35 - Uncertainty looms as negotiations on the US-Kenya trade agreement proceeds without a timetable
2023/7/22 13:48:23 - 40 More Countries Want to Join BRICS, Says South Africa
2023/7/18 13:25:04 - South Africa’s Putin problem just got a lot more messy
2023/7/18 13:17:58 - Too Much Noise Over Russia’s Influence In Africa – OpEd
2023/7/18 11:15:08 - Lagos now most expensive state in Nigeria
2023/7/18 10:43:40 - Nigeria Customs Intercepts Arms, Ammunition From US
2023/7/17 16:07:56 - Minister Eli Cohen: Nairobi visit has regional and strategic importance
2023/7/17 16:01:56 - Ruto Outlines Roadmap for Africa to Rival First World Countries
2023/7/17 15:47:30 - African heads of state arrive in Kenya for key meeting
2023/7/12 15:51:54 - Kenya, Iran sign five MoUs as Ruto rolls out red carpet for Raisi
2023/7/12 15:46:35 - Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women’s Issues Gupta Travels to Kenya and Rwanda
2023/7/2 14:57:52 - We Will Protect Water Catchments
2023/7/2 14:53:49 - Kenya records slight improvement in global peace ranking
2023/7/2 13:33:37 - South Sudan, South Africa forge joint efforts for peace in Sudan
2023/7/2 12:08:02 - Tinubu Ready To Assume Leadership Role In Africa
2023/7/2 10:50:34 - CDP ranks Nigeria, others low in zero-emission race
2023/6/19 15:30:00 - South Africa's Ramaphosa tells Putin Ukraine war must end
2023/6/17 15:30:20 - World Bank approves Sh45bn for Kenya Urban Programme
2023/6/17 15:25:47 - Sudan's military govt rejects Kenyan President Ruto as chief peace negotiatorThe Sudanese military government of Abdel Fattah al-Burhan has rejected Kenyan President William Ruto's leadership of the "Troika on Sudan."
2023/6/17 15:21:15 - Kenya Sells Record 2.2m Tonnes of Carbon Credits to Saudi Firms

The comments are owned by the author. We aren't responsible for their content.