Former military head of state, Mohammed Buhari, on Wednesday officially declared his intention to run for president in the 2015 elections under the platform of his party, the All Progressives Congress, APC.

Addressing thousands of cheering supporters dressed in a white traditional robe, dark glasses and a green cap, Buhari declared, “I … present myself before you … and before God seeking to be elected as APC’s Presidential candidate.”

He criticised President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration for corruption and failing to tackle the Boko Haram Islamist insurgency.

“Nearly all are in fear of their lives … due to insurgency by the godless movement called Boko Haram, by armed robbers on the highways, by kidnappers who have put whole communities to flight,” he said.

He stated that since 1999, the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP has presided over the country’s decline.

“Nigeria, in my experience, has never been so divided, so polarised by an unthinking government, hellbent on ruling and stealing. We in the APC are resolved to stop them in their tracks and rescue Nigeria from the stranglehold of PDP..,” he said.

“The interference in the wish of the people, which PDP has practiced since 2003, is the worst form of injustice: denying people their right to appraise their candidate. Whether they like it or not, injustice cannot endure.”

“I want to pay tribute to Nigerians who are enduring all sorts of hardship and degradations on a daily basis. Many are grappling with extreme poverty and barely eking out a living. Nearly all are in living in the fear of their lives, also of their friends and family, due to insurgency by the godless movement called Boko Haram.”

“Ladies and gentlemen, it is everyone’s duty to resolve and help overcome these immense challenges. I will like to appreciate members of our armed forces under the new leadership. I will also like to commend the police for their efforts in confronting these challenges,” Buhari said.

The Presidential aspirant won a rare reputation as a fighter against corruption during his military regime from 1983-85. Most Nigerians agree he did not use the presidency to enrich himself and his backers. His iron-fisted administration jailed several politicians on graft charges.

He will now face former vice president Atiku Abubakar in the APC primaries on December 2. Abubakar has also declared his intention to run for the presidency under the party’s umbrella.

The event was attended by the leader of the party, Bola Tinubu, governors of Rivers State, Rotimi Amaechi; Edo State, Adams Oshiomhole; Lagos State, Babatunde Fashola and Nasarawa State, Tanko Al-Makura; and some former governors, including Timipre Silva, of Bayelsa State as well as members of the National Assembly.