Former Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Professor Kingsley Moghalu, has rejected his inclusion in the policy team of African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar’s 2027 campaign, saying he was neither consulted nor gave consent for his name to be published.
Moghalu’s rejection came shortly after Atiku unveiled his campaign council on Thursday, with Moghalu listed among members of the Policy Team chaired by economist and banker Mohammed Hayatu-Deen.
In a statement, Moghalu said he was “surprised” to see his name included in the campaign structure, stressing that he had no association with Atiku’s campaign.
“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 further clarified that he was not a member of Atiku’s policy team, either formally or informally, and was not serving in any advisory capacity to the former vice-president’s campaign.
He also said he had withdrawn from partisan politics in Nigeria since 2022 and had maintained a non-partisan position in the country’s affairs.
“I am not a member or sympathizer of any political party in Nigeria,” the former CBN deputy governor said.
According to Moghalu, his current professional engagements are focused on public policy and geopolitical risk. He identified himself as President of the Institute for Governance and Economic Transformation (IGET Africa), a non-partisan public policy think tank and executive education academy, and Chief Executive Officer of Sogato Strategies, a geopolitical risk and regulatory strategy advisory firm.
He stressed that his continued commitment to Nigeria’s development should not be interpreted as partisan support for any political party or candidate.
“I remain committed to my country, Nigeria and its progress, but such commitment does not have to entail ANY partisan alignment,” Moghalu said.
“I have adopted the path of statesmanship, not partisanship.”
The development comes hours after Atiku’s campaign unveiled a 2027 structure that listed Moghalu alongside Mohammed Hayatu-Deen, Professor Mohammed Sagagi, Professor Mustapha Akinkunmi and Senator Abdul Ningi on the Policy Team.
Atiku’s campaign had described the policy team as part of a broader structure intended to develop practical responses to issues including the cost of living, unemployment, insecurity and declining purchasing power.
Moghalu’s public disavowal therefore removes him from the campaign structure despite his name appearing in the list released by Atiku’s team. His statement did not indicate whether the campaign had subsequently contacted him or explain how his name came to be included.