2027: Moghalu Rejects Inclusion in Atiku's Policy Team

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

Moghalu said he was neither consulted nor asked to give his consent before his name was included in the campaign structure unveiled by Atiku's team on Thursday, September 24.

His reaction came hours after the ADC presidential campaign announced its Presidential Campaign Council, listing Moghalu among members of its Policy Team.

The Policy Team is coordinated by economist and banker Mohammed Hayatu-Deen, with Professor Mohammed Sagagi as deputy chairman. The campaign said the team would contribute to the development of policy proposals for the 2027 campaign.

However, in a statement posted on his X account, Moghalu said he was surprised to see his name included in the announcement.

“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.

He added that he was not a member of Atiku's policy team, either officially or in an advisory capacity.

Moghalu, who contested the 2019 presidential election on the platform of the Young Progressives Party (YPP), said he left partisan politics in Nigeria in 2022 and has maintained a non-partisan position since then.

“I am not a member or sympathiser of any political party in Nigeria,” he said.

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 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 national 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 clarification followed the unveiling of Atiku's campaign structure, which named Kashim Ibrahim-Imam as chairman of the National Campaign Council, former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai as deputy chairman and Senator Austin Akobundu as Director-General and Campaign Manager.

The campaign also said its policy team would work on proposals addressing issues including the cost of living, unemployment, insecurity and declining purchasing power.

Moghalu's public rejection means his inclusion in the announced policy team remains disputed, with the economist maintaining that he did not authorise or accept the role.