Professor Kingsley Moghalu has rejected his appointment to former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar’s 2027 presidential campaign policy team, saying he was neither consulted nor gave consent for his name to be included
Moghalu, a former deputy governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, said he was surprised to see his name listed as a member of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential campaign team
Atiku, the ADC presidential candidate, on Thursday unveiled his campaign council ahead of the 2027 election, with Moghalu listed among members of the policy team chaired by Mohammed Hayatu-Deen
But in a statement, Moghalu said he was not a member of the team, either officially or in an advisory capacity
“I was not consulted and did not give my consent to my name being published as a member of the ADC candidate’s policy team,” he said
“I am NOT, in fact, a member of Atiku’s policy team, even unofficially or in any advisory capacity”
Moghalu said he had quit partisan politics in Nigeria in 2022 and had maintained a non-partisan position in the country’s national affairs
“I am not a member or sympathizer of any political party in Nigeria,” he said
He explained that his primary engagements were as president of the Institute for Global Economic Transformation (IGET) Africa, a non-partisan public policy think tank and executive education academy, and as chief executive officer of Sogato Strategies, a geopolitical risk and regulatory strategy advisory firm
Moghalu said his commitment to Nigeria’s progress did not require partisan alignment
“I remain committed to my country, Nigeria and its progress, but such commitment does not have to entail ANY partisan alignment,” he said
“I have adopted the path of statesmanship, not partisanship”
His rejection came shortly after Atiku unveiled the campaign council, which is headed by Kashim Ibrahim-Imam as chairman and former Kaduna State governor Nasir El-Rufai as deputy chairman
Senator Austin Akobundu was named director-general and campaign manager, while Hayatu-Deen was listed as chairman of the policy team, with Professor Mohammed Sagagi as deputy chairman
The campaign council said its policy team would work on issues including the cost of living, unemployment, insecurity and declining purchasing power
Moghalu’s statement effectively disassociates him from the campaign structure despite his inclusion in the published list