Nigeria: Infighting Over the Next President

The chairman of Nigeria's ruling party said July 8 that the power-sharing agreement designating the rotation of the country's presidency between its north and south ended in 1999. This statement could clear the way for President Goodluck Jonathan, a southerner, to run in national elections due in 2011. Whether or not a zoning agreement formally exists, political power sharing among the country's sub-regions will continue, and Jonathan — and Nigerian northerners — will still have their work cut out for them before agreeing upon a presidential candidate.