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Nigeria: President Jonathan reshuffles cabinet in bid to out-maneuver rivals ahead of 2015 presidential elections
Jonathan’s PDP has controlled the presidency since a return to civilian rule in 1999, but in recent weeks it has been rocked by internal dissent and faces a stronger opposition.
Much of the opposition to Jonathan within the party is based on an unwritten pact intended to rotate control of the presidency between Nigeria’s predominately Christian south and mainly Muslim north.
According to many northerners, Jonathan, a Christian from the oil-producing Niger Delta region, should have never been allowed to run in 2011 as it was the north’s turn. He has not yet announced his intentions, but he is expected to seek re-election in 2015.
Nigeria is Africa’s most populous nation and largest oil producer, and Africa’s second largest economy.
Regional politics withing the country continue to play a major role in national affairs.
Copyright 2013 AFP
