Nigerian media Tuesday reported that President Muhammadu Buhari's campaign for re-election had received a boost from unlikely quarters - namely the son of a former president.

Unlike ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo who last year called on the current president to step down at the end of his term, his son Olujonwo Obasanjo has declared his support for President Buhari and leads the Buhari Youth Organisation, the reports said.

"We have Buharists in the United States and all over the world," he is quoted by the Vanguard newspaper as saying

Made us proud

Mr Obasanjo junior is reportedly in the US drumming up support among the Nigerian diaspora.

"[Mr Buhari] is the one who has made us believe again in our country, who has made us proud of our country," he said, adding that the 76-year-old president "has opened up the space for the youth of the country to participate politically, economically".

Mr Atiku Abubakar, who served as vice-president from 1999 to 2007, is President Buhari's main rival in the February 16 election.