2027: MOGHALU REJECTS ATIKU CAMPAIGN APPOINTMENT

Former Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Kingsley Moghalu, has rejected his inclusion in the policy team of African Democratic Congress presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar for the 2027 election.

Moghalu said he was neither consulted nor asked for his consent before his name was published as a member of Atiku’s campaign policy team.

His reaction came shortly after Atiku’s campaign unveiled its Presidential Campaign Council and listed Moghalu among members of its Policy Team.

The team is headed by economist and banker Mohammed Hayatu-Deen, with Professor Mohammed Sagagi also named as a member. Atiku’s campaign said the policy team would develop proposals addressing issues such as the cost of living, unemployment, insecurity and declining purchasing power.

Reacting to the announcement, Moghalu said he was surprised to see his name included in the campaign structure.

He stated that he did not give his consent to be listed as a member of the ADC candidate’s policy team and clarified that he was not part of the team in any capacity, including unofficially or as an adviser.

Moghalu, who contested the 2019 presidential election on the platform of the Young Progressives Party, said he had quit partisan politics in Nigeria in 2022.

He said he had maintained a non-partisan position in the country’s national affairs and was not a member or sympathiser of any political party.

The former CBN deputy governor said his current engagements include serving as president of the Institute for Governance and Economic Transformation, IGET Africa, which he described as a non-partisan public policy think tank and executive education academy.

He also serves as the Chief Executive Officer of Sogato Strategies, a geopolitical risk and regulatory strategy advisory firm.

Moghalu stressed that remaining outside partisan politics did not mean he was disengaged from Nigeria’s affairs.

He said his commitment to the country and its progress did not require alignment with any political party, adding that he had chosen what he described as “statesmanship, not partisanship.”

The development followed Atiku’s announcement of his campaign structure for the 2027 presidential election.

Kashim Ibrahim-Imam was named chairman of the National Campaign Council, while former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai was appointed deputy chairman. Senator Austin Akobundu was named Director-General and Campaign Manager.

The campaign said the policy team would work on practical responses to economic and social challenges identified by Nigerians, including rising living costs, unemployment, insecurity and declining purchasing power.

Moghalu’s statement, however, makes clear that his name was included in the announced policy structure without his consent and that he does not consider himself a member of Atiku’s campaign team.