Atiku Unveils Campaign Council, Moghalu Disowns Appointment As Okonkwo Emerges Among Spokespersons
Reloaded News Desk
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has unveiled his Presidential Campaign Council for the 2027 election, naming Kashim Ibrahim-Imam as Chairman, former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai as Deputy Chairman and Senator Austin Akobundu as Director-General and Campaign Manager.
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate’s campaign structure comprises six operational directorates and 30 directors, with prominent figures from different political backgrounds assigned responsibilities across the campaign.
Former Edo State Governor and pioneer APC National Chairman, John Odigie-Oyegun, will chair the Campaign Advisory Board, with Lawal Batagarawa as Deputy Chairman and Eyitayo Jegede, SAN, as Secretary. Senator Ireti Kingibe and Hajia Naja’atu Mohammed are also members of the board.
The Policy Team is headed by economist and banker Mohammed Hayatudeen, with Professor Mohammed Sagagi as Deputy Chairman. The published list also named former Central Bank of Nigeria Deputy Governor, Professor Kingsley Moghalu, alongside Professor Mustapha Akinkunmi and Senator Abdul Ningi.
But Moghalu has rejected the appointment.
Moghalu: I Was Not Consulted
Hours after the campaign structure was released, Moghalu said he was neither consulted nor asked for consent before his name was published as a member of Atiku’s Policy Team.
Moghalu said he was not a member of the team, either officially, unofficially or in an advisory capacity.
He further stated that he had withdrawn from partisan politics since 2022 and remained non-partisan in his engagement with national affairs.
Moghalu said his commitment to Nigeria’s progress did not require partisan alignment and described his present approach as one of statesmanship rather than partisanship.
The development has created an immediate question around the campaign’s published list: why was a prominent public figure listed in a formal campaign structure without, according to him, prior consultation or consent?
The campaign has not, in the reports reviewed, publicly explained how Moghalu’s name came to be included despite his subsequent denial.
And Kenneth Okonkwo?
There was initially another question surrounding the campaign list: the apparent absence of Kenneth Okonkwo, who has been publicly identified with Atiku’s campaign communication.
However, the full campaign structure does include Okonkwo.
He is listed among the spokespersons under the Media and Communications Directorate, alongside Keturah King, Nana Kazaure, Dr Uche Diala and Alhaji Dahiru Maishanu.
The directorate is headed by veteran journalist and publisher Dele Momodu as Deputy Director-General, with Phrank Shaibu responsible for Strategic Communication, Kola Ologbondiyan for Media and Publicity, Ladan Salihu for Branding, Moji Rhodes-Vivour for Digital and Online Media, and David Iyofor for Content Development.
Okonkwo’s inclusion therefore appears to have been obscured by the shorter versions of the campaign announcement, which highlighted the major appointments but did not reproduce the entire structure.
The Bigger Political Picture
Beyond the controversy over Moghalu’s name, the structure brings together figures with backgrounds spanning different political camps.
El-Rufai, a former APC governor, is now Atiku’s Deputy Campaign Chairman.
Oyegun, another prominent former APC figure, chairs the Campaign Advisory Board.
Dele Momodu takes charge of Media and Communications, while Dino Melaye heads Contact and Mobilisation.
Other senior advisers named include former governors Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, Abdulfatah Ahmed and Emeka Ihedioha, alongside other political figures.
The campaign says its structure is intended to focus on issues including the cost of living, unemployment, insecurity and declining purchasing power.
But its first major controversy has emerged before the campaign machinery has fully begun operating: one of the people officially listed as part of the Policy Team says he never agreed to serve.
For the Atiku campaign, the immediate task is therefore not only to sell its political programme but also to clarify the circumstances surrounding Moghalu’s inclusion.
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