A former Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Kingsley Moghalu, has officially declared to run for the president of Nigeria in the 2019 election.

 

Mr. Moghalu, who announced this on Wednesday in a press conference at the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Centre, Abuja, said a combination of military rule, oil booms and busts, and successive leadership failures of the political class have robbed the country “of what seemed our destiny at independence”.

 

Mr. Moghalu didn’t, however, mention on which political party platform he would stand for the election. Nigeria’s current electoral law does not allow for independent candidacy.

“My focus, for now, is the people of Nigeria and not on party platforms that have in the past been mere vehicles for capturing political power,” he said in his declaration speech.

“While I have been approached by a number of political parties, the movement that I am part of will decide which one we will join,” he said, adding that such “decision will be based on commonality of vision and the imperative of a generational shift in leadership, and we will announce this decision in the coming weeks.”

Mr. Moghalu said, “I am standing here today saying that it is time we shatter the downward spiral to nowhere.

“I am here today, standing with the 110 missing girls of Dapchi and their grieving family, and with the traumatized young women of Chibok, those with us and those still in captivity.

“I am here today standing with 180 million Nigerians, in addition to thousands of businesses struggling to share a measly 4000MW of electricity.”

Mr. Moghalu’s presidential bid is a welcomed development for Nigeria and millions are wishing him well.