Nigeria's former vice president Atiku Abubakar, who was accused of bribing a U.S. congressman while in office, announced Sunday he would seek the nomination of the oil-rich country's ruling party to run for the presidency.

Abubakar, 63, would need the People's Democratic Party to again accept him as a member before contesting the primary, as he ran unsuccessfully as a presidential candidate for an opposition party in 2007.

However, his candidacy as a Muslim from northern Nigeria could pressure the party after a Christian from the south became Nigeria's president earlier this year following the death of its elected Muslim leader.