Abuja, Jan 8 (IANS): Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan Thursday kicked off his campaign for re-election in the West African country as the nation prepares for general elections next month.

Jonathan's re-election campaign kicked off in Lagos, the commercial hub of Nigeria and the most populous city in the country, from which the campaign train will hit other states of the nation.

"Today, as I open up my campaign in the cosmopolitan city of Lagos, which is a melting pot for all Nigerians, I invite both the young and the old, men and women, students, market women, transporters, activists and indeed all Nigerians, to come and join me at the Tafawa Balewa Square, venue of the event," Xinhua news agency quoted the Nigerian leader as saying while welcoming citizens of the country to the campaign venue.

He added: "I will not dictate to you. I will listen to you. It will not be a monologue. I will dialogue with you. My brothers and sisters, come and join me so we can chart our forward movement together."

Jonathan said the forthcoming presidential election, slated for Feb 14, will be a contest among brothers rather than a struggle between foes.

Nigeria's ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) said its candidate was running on the record of his performance which, it noted, ranged from turnaround of the agricultural sector, transportation and road networking across the country.

The Nigerian ruling party had ratified the choice of Jonathan as its presidential candidate in the election at a well-attended national convention of the political group in the nation's capital Abuja.

Jonathan's major challenger in the presidential election, Muhammad Buhari, of the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) party, earlier this week kicked off his election campaign in the southern city of Port Harcourt, Nigeria's oil hub and capital of the oil-rich Rivers state.