…Moghalu Rejects Appointment
Former Vice-President and presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress, Atiku Abubakar, has unveiled his campaign council for the 2027 presidential election, naming former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir el-Rufai, as deputy chairman.
Kashim Ibrahim-Imam will chair the National Campaign Council, while Senator Austin Akobundu will serve as Director-General and Campaign Manager.
The appointments were contained in a statement issued on Thursday by Atiku’s Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication and Director of Strategic Communications of the campaign council, Phrank Shaibu.
According to the statement, the campaign council will operate through six major directorates, each headed by a Deputy Director-General, with 30 directors assigned specific responsibilities.
The structure includes Dele Momodu as head of Media and Communications and former Kogi West Senator, Dino Melaye, as head of Contact and Mobilisation.
Mohammed Hayatu-Deen, who contested the ADC presidential primary alongside Atiku, was named coordinator of the Policy Team. He is expected to work with Professor Mohammed Sagagi and other members to develop policy proposals on issues identified by the campaign.
Former National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, John Oyegun, will chair the Campaign Advisory Board. His deputies are former Senator Ben Obi and Lawal Batagarawa, while Eyitayo Jegede, SAN, will serve as secretary, according to details published on the campaign structure.
The campaign said its structure was designed around the economic and social challenges confronting Nigerians.
“When families are struggling with food prices, transport costs and shrinking incomes, a campaign asking for their trust must show discipline in how it operates,” the statement reads.
“This is a structure built for work. Every directorate has a duty. Every director has an assignment. Every appointee must account for results. Our measure of success will be how clearly we address the cost of living, unemployment, insecurity and declining purchasing power—and how effectively we organise to make Nigeria affordable again.”
El-Rufai’s appointment comes amid his ongoing legal proceedings arising from investigations by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).
The ICPC has brought criminal charges against the former governor, including allegations relating to corruption, money laundering and conversion or possession of public property. El-Rufai has pleaded not guilty to charges in the proceedings.
The commission had earlier confirmed that El-Rufai was in its custody following his release from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, and subsequently said his detention was authorised by a court order.
As of September 2026, his legal battle with the authorities remains ongoing. A Federal High Court in Abuja recently adjourned his N1 billion fundamental-rights suit against the ICPC, Inspector-General of Police and Attorney-General of the Federation to October 27, 2026.
Following his appointment, ADC chieftain and newly appointed Deputy Director-General of Media and Communications, Dele Momodu, said Atiku’s decision to include El-Rufai was partly intended to honour what he described as the former governor’s sacrifices. Momodu made the explanation while speaking on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief.
Moghalu: “I Am Not a Member of Atiku’s Campaign Policy Team”
However, the unveiling of the campaign structure was followed by a clarification from Professor Kingsley Moghalu, a former Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, who rejected his inclusion in the campaign’s Policy Team.
Moghalu said he was neither consulted nor asked to consent to the publication of his name as a member of Atiku’s campaign team.
“I am surprised to see a statement from @atiku and @ADCNig campaign team including my name as a member of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar’s policy team for the 2027 presidential campaign,” he said in a statement posted on his X handle.
“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. I am NOT, in fact, a member of Atiku’s policy team, even unofficially or in any advisory capacity.”
Moghalu, who contested the 2019 presidential election on the platform of the Young Progressives Party, said he had withdrawn from partisan politics in Nigeria since 2022.
“I have quit partisan politics in Nigeria since 2022. I have maintained, and continue to maintain, my non-partisan posture in our country’s national affairs. I am not a member or sympathiser of any political party in Nigeria,” he said.
He 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, as well as Chief Executive Officer of Sogato Strategies, a geopolitical risk and regulatory strategy advisory firm.
Moghalu added: “I remain committed to my country, Nigeria and its progress, but such commitment does not have to entail ANY partisan alignment. I have adopted the path of statesmanship, not partisanship.”
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