LAGOS (Reuters) - Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan on Wednesday declared his intention to run in elections due in January on his Facebook webpage.
"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," said a statement on his page on the social networking site.
The statement said Jonathan would make a formal declaration in the capital Abuja on Saturday on his intention to run for the leadership of Africa's most populous nation.
Presidency officials could not be reached immediately for comment.
Jonathan's election bid is controversial because of an agreement in the ruling People's Democratic Party (PDP) that power should rotate between the mostly Muslim north and predominantly Christian south every two terms, meaning a northerner should be the next leader.
Jonathan is from the southern Niger Delta.
The statement on Facebook said Jonathan had decided to bid after consultations with the country's six geo-political zones, the ruling party, the opposition, civil society, labour unions and religious leaders. (For more Reuters Africa coverage and to have your say on the top issues, visit: http://af.reuters.com/ ) (Reporting by Chijioke Ohuocha and Nick Tattersall; Editing by Louise Ireland)
