Top private sector players in and outside Nigeria will be bankrolling the Kingsley Moghalu presidential campaign, as the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) lifts its ban on soliciting for votes on the stump,
One top private sector player told Pulse on condition of anonymity that Moghalu, presidential candidate of the Young Progressives Party (YPP), has been chosen as the beautiful bride of captains of industries who have been looking for a likeable and sellable candidate to throw their weight behind and fund.
“We have been looking at all the candidates and Moghalu is the one man you can say is smart, will revive the economy, fashion out a blueprint for industries to thrive and strengthen the Naira because he saw it all as Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). He is a political economist. We are going to fund his campaign because his policies are relatable and he’s young. Exactly the kind of leader Nigeria needs at this time”, the top private sector player confided in Pulse.
Moghalu told Pulse during a chat on Monday, November 19, 2018 that he has been flying commercial airlines and driving in cars to traverse the length and breadth of the country as he feels the pulse of voters and sells his ideas to them. He also disclosed that he wasn't going to accept money from any godfather.
These private sector players are ready to take some of the financial burden off him.
One top banker who pleaded anonymity for this story said: “running political campaigns is expensive. If we say we want a new Nigeria, we have to put our money where our mouth is. We have settled for Moghalu as the one candidate who represents our ideals and he’s going to get the financial support his campaign badly needs”.
When Pulse reached out to the Kingsley Moghalu campaign organisation for a response to this story, they were intent on giving nothing away.
“We have nothing to say at this point”, a lady with the Moghalu campaign said over the phone.
Calls placed to Moghalu’s phone for a confirmation or rebuttal, returned unanswered before this story was published.
Announcing a running mate, outlining vision in a book
On Sunday, November 18, 2018, Moghalu announced 37-year-old Umma Getso from Kano as his running mate ahead of the 2019 general elections.
Moghalu has outlined his vision for Nigeria in a book titled BIG—an acronym for Build, Innovate, Grow.
Moghalu says he will be bringing plenty of innovation, quality leadership, nation building through systematic restructuring and real federalism, human capital development, economic growth hinged on philosophical foundation, and creatively managing the nation’s economy through his fiscal policy, to the table when he becomes president.
Nigeria holds its presidential election on February 16, 2019. Over 70 other candidates, including the incumbent, Muhammadu Buhari, will be vying for the nation's top job next spring.