Former Central Bank of Nigeria Deputy Governor, Prof. Kingsley Moghalu, has thrown a spanner in the works of Atiku Abubakar’s 2027 presidential campaign after disowning his reported appointment to the campaign’s policy team.
Moghalu made the stunning clarification shortly after Atiku and the African Democratic Congress unveiled their campaign structure, which listed the former CBN deputy governor as a member of the Policy Team.
But Moghalu swiftly rejected the role, insisting that nobody consulted him before his name was published.
In a statement on his X handle, he said he was “surprised” to find himself listed as part of Atiku’s team.
“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.
Moghalu went further, making it clear that his name should not be associated with the Atiku campaign in any capacity.
“I am NOT, in fact, a member of Atiku’s policy team, even unofficially or in any advisory capacity,” he declared.
The former presidential candidate of the Young Progressives Party in the 2019 election also revealed that he had walked away from partisan politics four years ago.
According to him, he has remained non-partisan since 2022 and does not belong to or sympathise with any political party in Nigeria.
Moghalu said his current engagements are centred on public policy and strategic advisory work, including his role as president of the Institute for Governance and Economic Transformation, IGET Africa, and Chief Executive Officer of Sogato Strategies.
He, however, stressed that staying away from party politics should not be mistaken for abandoning Nigeria or its affairs.
“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.”
The development came as Atiku unveiled a major part of his 2027 campaign structure, with Kashim Ibrahim-Imam named chairman, former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai as deputy chairman and Senator Austin Akobundu as Director-General and Campaign Manager.
Economist and banker Mohammed Hayatu-Deen was named to coordinate the policy team, which the campaign said would work on proposals addressing issues such as the cost of living, unemployment, insecurity and declining purchasing power.
But with Moghalu publicly saying he never agreed to serve, the announcement has been followed by an immediate clarification from one of the names listed in the campaign structure.
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