Professor Kingsley Moghalu, former Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, has rejected his inclusion in the 2027 presidential campaign policy team of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, saying he was neither consulted nor gave his consent to serve.
Moghalu reacted on Thursday after Atiku’s African Democratic Congress presidential campaign council released its structure ahead of the 2027 general election.
In the campaign structure announced by Atiku’s team, economist and banker Mohammed Hayatu-Deen was named chairman of the Policy Team, with Professor Mohammed Sagagi as deputy chairman. Moghalu was listed among the members of the team.
However, Moghalu said he was surprised to see his name included in the announcement.
“For the record: 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 in a statement.
The former CBN deputy governor further clarified that he was not part of Atiku’s campaign in any capacity.
“I am NOT, in fact a member of Atiku’s policy team, even unofficially or in any advisory capacity,” Moghalu stated.
He said he had withdrawn from partisan politics in Nigeria since 2022 and had maintained what he described as a non-partisan position in national affairs.
Moghalu also stated that he was neither a member nor a sympathiser of any political party in Nigeria.
According to him, his current engagements include serving as president of IGET Africa, which he described as 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.
He said his commitment to Nigeria should not be interpreted as support for any political party or candidate.
“I remain committed to my country, Nigeria and its progress, but such commitment does have to entail ANY partisan alignment,” Moghalu said, adding that he had chosen “the path of statesmanship, not partisanship.”
Moghalu’s rejection came shortly after Atiku unveiled a campaign structure 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 veteran journalist and publisher Dele Momodu was appointed Deputy Director-General of the Media and Communications Directorate.
The campaign said its policy team would focus on developing responses to issues affecting Nigerians, including the cost of living, unemployment, insecurity, declining purchasing power and governance.
The disagreement over Moghalu’s inclusion highlights the distinction between being named in a political campaign structure and formally accepting such an appointment.
While Atiku’s campaign statement presented Moghalu as part of the policy architecture, Moghalu’s subsequent statement makes clear that he did not authorise or accept the role.
There has been no indication in the reports reviewed that Atiku’s campaign has publicly responded to Moghalu’s rejection or announced whether his name will be removed from the structure.
Moghalu previously contested Nigeria’s presidential election as the candidate of the Young Progressive Party in 2019. His latest statement, however, indicates that he intends to maintain a non-partisan position in the country’s political affairs.
The development comes as political parties and presidential candidates continue to assemble campaign structures ahead of the 2027 elections, with the Independent National Electoral Commission’s timetable providing for the formal presidential campaign period to commence on August 19, 2026.
