Former Brazil President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has expressed his intention to seek another term as head of the state. That is, if the attacks on the administration party by the opposition continues.

Lula will have become 72 years old by the time of the next election, writes The Guardian. However, speaking to reporters at the 36th year celebration of the Workers' Party in Rio de Janeiro, he said that he still has the passion of a 30-year-old to lead.

This statement comes after incumbent president Dilma Rousseff, also a member of the Workers' Party, was embroiled in the recent Petrobras corruption scandal where opposition leaders called for her dismissal. According to TeleSur, Lula was also linked to the issue involving the state-owned oil company, but the ex-president shunned the accusations as merely a political ploy because the Social-Democrat could not come up with concrete plans and programs.

In December 2015, state prosecutors filed a lawsuit against high-ranking state individuals for their alleged involvement in bribery and kickback schemes related to Petrobras projects. It is believed that the corrupt practices have been going on since 2013. One of those who were arrested was Delcidio do Amaral, who was the most senior figure in Congress at the time and a close ally of Lula, per Business Insider.

While Rousseff was not exempted from investigations, she was reportedly the chairperson of the oil company during the period in question. Both Lula and Rousseff were eventually exonerated. However, according to Reuters, the former is once again in the spotlight for the ownership of certain luxurious properties, which are believed to the be related to the Petrobras issue.

At the recent Rio event, Lula reiterated his support for Rousseff, who is currently serving her second term after defeating Aécio Neves in October 2014.

"Even though we disagree on some things, Dilma has to be certain that we are on her side. She needs us in order to survive attacks that she has suffered in the National Congress by our adversaries," he noted in a separate article from TeleSur.

Lula ended his eight-year term as president in 2010 and exited his two-term limit with high approval ratings. In a 2013 interview with The Guardian, then Workers' Party Congressman Jorge Bittar said that bringing Lula back as a candidate for the presidency will be a solid solution if Rousseff's political fortune worsens. Rousseff has also been quoted saying that she thinks Lula will not be back, "because he never left," without providing more information about her predecessor's plans.

The next Brazil presidential elections is set for October 2018.