…reiterates intentions to run for presidency in 2023

Former Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria and 2019 presidential candidate for Young Progressives Party (YPP), Professor Kingsley Moghalu has declared  intentions to contest for the 2023 presidential election under the African Democratic Congress (ADC) political party.

Moghalu who spoke at a press briefing in Abuja said he decided to abandon the YPP to join ADC because it aligns better with his vision.

“For the past year I have  been part of a group of individuals and political parties working towards the emergence of a “Third Force” in the Nigerian political space. Millions of our countrymen and women, tired of the failure of traditional politics, are waiting eagerly for the emergence of such a platform.  I am pleased to announce today that I have joined the African Democratic Congress (ADC) political party. The ADC is a key player in this effort to create a new and bigger “megaparty” platform through a merger of several political parties to take power in 2023 and  begin the work of rebuilding our beleaguered country.

“Every part of our Nigeria today can benefit from being part of one big, united, prosperous and powerful nation.

To  achieve this vision, we need a new “Third Way” politics anchored on pragmatic ideology and visionary, competent leadership.  I believe we can re-engineer Nigeria’s economy through a system of developmental capitalism that taps into the well known dynamism and innovative spirit of Nigerian youth.

The former CBN deputy governor said he has a vision to heal Nigeria of its economic and security problems using his years of experience gained working in the CBN and the United nations.

According to him, what Nigeria requires to be secured is a political will that is devoid of sentiments.

“Nigeria as we know is insecure. Life is cheaper than the value of the naira to the dollar.

“Sometimes when you look at what’s happening you will wonder if there is the political will to secure Nigeria. As President of Nigeria, the first thing I will do is that I will have the political will to secure Nigeria. The test of your political will stems from your commitment to secure Nigeria or whether you are committed to secure only part of it. If you are committed to certain vested interests, when those interests begin to create insecurity, you find yourself unable or unwilling to deal with those interests because you have a sentimental, historical, religious, familiar, ethnic inclination and that is the fundamental reason why security of this country is broken. So it is not about kinetics. The security of this country starts from the mindset.

He also insisted that the Police must be decentralized adding that Nigeria is the only Federation where the police is solely controlled by the federal government.

He further mentioned that leaving the Nigerian boarders open for anyone to move in and out of the country is an invitation to crime which he is willing to address if elected president.

“The second thing that is very necessary, is the open borders which is an invitation to crime, no country leaves its borders open. How can you be secure If anybody can just walk into your country from neighboring countries. The borders that are officially manned are just a minute percentage of the unmanned borders that exist. And people are walking in and out in various areas of this country, north, south, east. Yes, we have the ECOWAS protocol of the free movement of persons  but it doesn’t say they should not secure your country. It states  that when someone enters legally the person can stay for a maximum of three months. As president of Nigeria, I want to know and have a report on my table about where are you and what are you doing in those three months.

Speaking on the economy, Moghalu said it is dwindling because there is no philosophy guiding it. He said the current government is killing the economy by being too involved and making too many rules trying to control the market which is dynamic in nature.

“My vision is one in which millions of youth can create jobs and move out of poverty and into the middle class, the market functions well,  the government creates an enabling policy environment for all Nigerians to achieve prosperity, and an effective social security system is established to take care of our elderly population.

“I feel ideologically aligned with the ADC.  Since its founding in 2005 to date, including in the 2019 general

elections in which the party presented the late Dr. Obadiah Mailafia as its presidential candidate, the ADC has remained consistent in its commitment to the emergence of true democracy in Nigeria, and to the role of belief, passion, and ideas in nation-building. The party has shunned food-is-ready and divisive ethno-centric politics.

“The political status quo and its two major parties have failed Nigerians. To vote for them again is to waste your vote. The results, for the past 22 years,  include rigged elections, Nigeria as the poverty capital of the world, 4,000 megawatts of electricity for 200 million people, 33% unemployment, terrorism, and our lives today cheaper than the naira to the dollar. We must now focus on governance beyond politics if we are ever to escape from today’s mess and the misery it will surely continue to generate if the same recycled politicians remain in charge.

“I am honoured to become a card-carrying member of the ADC. In doing so, I restate my public announcement on June 1, 2021, making  myself available to lead our country as a competent, 21st century President, and my intention to contest in the 2023 presidential election.” He declared.

Culled from the Sun News Nigeria