Former African Democratic Congress presidential aspirant, Kingsley Moghalu, has rejected his inclusion in Atiku Abubakar’s presidential campaign council ahead of the 2027 election.

Mr Abubakar unveiled his council on Thursday, listing Mr Moghalu as a member of its policy team.

He also appointed a former ally of President Bola Tinubu, Kashim Imam, as its chairman, former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai as deputy chairman, and Senator Austin Akobundu as the director-general and campaign manager.

In a statement on Thursday, Mr Moghalu stated, “I am surprised to see a statement from the Atiku Abubakar and African Democratic Congress (ADC) campaign team including my name as a member of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar’s policy team for the 2027 presidential campaign.”

The former ADC chieftain, who exited the party in 2022 after losing its 2023 presidential ticket, noted that he neither was consulted nor gave consent for his name to be published on the list.

“I am NOT, in fact a member of Atiku’s policy team, even unofficially or in any advisory capacity,” he added.

Noting that he left partisan politics in Nigeria in 2022, the ex-presidential candidate said he had continued to maintain his non-partisan posture in the country’s national affairs.

Mr Moghalu explained, “I am not a member or sympathiser of any political party in Nigeria. My primary engagement is as President of @IGETAfrica , a non-partisan public policy think tank and executive education academy, and as CEO of Sogato Strategies, a geopolitical risk and regulatory strategy advisory firm.”

He reaffirmed his commitment to the country’s progress, noting that such commitment, however, does not have to entail any partisan alignment.

“I have adopted the path of statesmanship, not partisanship,” he concluded.