Our attention has been drawn to the recent release made by the Presidential Candidate of the Young Progressive Party, Kingsley Moghalu, as it affects his role in the Presidential Aspirants Coming Together (PACT) and the 2019 presidential election.
It has thus become expedient for us to put the record straight for the sake of posterity.
PACT was formed with just one aim; to get all New Breed Presidential Aspirants to come together and present one Consensus Candidate, while others queue behind the fellow so that we can collectively wrestle power from the Old Brigades and restore our nation to a path of progress.
The story of PACT is in public domain, so we shall not bother to go over it all over.
We shall however restrict ourselves to addressing the issues raised by Kingsley Moghalu in his release and several pronouncements.
1. THAT HE IS NOT AWARE OF HOW DR OBY EZEKWESILI CAME INTO THE PICTURE.
PACT had a WhatsApp platform on which we discussed issues relating to the emergence of a Consensus Candidate, which was our primary objective.
Right from the inception of PACT, all our meetings were moderated by Dr Thomas-Wilson Ikubese, who was also a Presidential Aspirant and a member of PACT.
However, after the meeting before the last, some members suggested on the platform, that we should get a neutral person, possibly a respectable national figure, who will preside over the meeting and serve as the umpire during the electioneering process.
The media sub-committee contacted Dr Oby Ezekwesili, who had to cancel some of her itineraries to honour our invitation.
None of the PACT members including Prof Kingsley Moghalu raised objection to Dr Ezekwesili serving as the umpire on our WhatsApp platform and none raised objection when she was physically present, before the commencement of the election, during or immediately after the election.
Dr Oby Ezekwesili was never a member of PACT. We the members of PACT collectively invited her formally as an umpire, based on her track record as an uncompromising nation builder and she obliged us as part of her sacrifice to seeing the birth of a New Nigeria. She proved her worth again, by supervising the PACT election in a very transparent manner. Why Kingsley Moghalu seeks to paint her black, has orchestrated attacks and spreading of falsehoods against her, simply because he narrowly lost an election which he had so much confidence that he would win, amazes us!
2. THAT HE WAS SHOCKED AT THE PROCESS
Kingsley Moghalu was in deed a part of the process and raised no objection at any time.
In fact, Kingsley Moghalu, as a lawyer himself, played a major role in amending the Memorandum of Understanding, adding and removing clauses from the original document that was prepared by our lawyer, after which he certified the document as okay.
During the first round, Fela Durotoye, Kingsley Moghalu and Mathias Tsado scored 2 votes each, Dr Elishama Ideh scored 1 vote, Godstime Iroabuchi scored 1 vote, Dr Thomas-Wilson Ikubese scored 1 vote, Favour Oluwamuyiwa scored 1 vote and Dare Fagbemi scored 1 vote.
The three topmost aspirants then proceeded to the next round, as agreed in the MOU, after which Durotoye scored 4 votes and Moghalu scored 3 votes.
Kingsley Moghalu then walked up to Durotoye and congratulated him in the presence of other members of PACT.
If he had reservations about the process, why did he not complain on the WhatsApp platform? Why did he not complain when he sighted Dr Oby Ezekwesili in the room? Why did he subject himself to the process? Why did he congratulate Durotoye at the end of the process?
3. THAT CLAUSE 13 OF THE MOU STATES THAT HE IS AT LIBERTY TO WALK AWAY AND PURSUE HIS PRESIDENTIAL AMBITION.
We shall reproduce verbatim, the content of the 13th clause herein;
“It is also agreed by the Aspirants, that nothing in this document herein shall infringe on the legal right of any Aspirants, including but not limited to his constitutional freedom of association, freedom of expression and other rights as enshrined in the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and other relevant laws”.
This 13th clause did not state that an aspirant who fails to be elected as the Consensus Candidate can yet proceed to pursue his Presidential ambition. It only serves to protect the right of aspirants against any statute that contravenes the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
It is expedient to highlight the provision of clause 10 which states thus:
“The Aspirants therefore agree not to further contest against the preferred Consensus Candidate”.
NB: The copy of the MOU is herein attached.
4. THAT PACT WAS A DELIBERATE PLOY TO AMBUSH HIS PRESIDENTIAL AMBITION AND EXTERMINATE HIS POLITICAL PURSUIT
Our noble intention was to bring all New Breed Presidential hopefuls to the table, get them to vote amongst themselves and pick the aspirant with the highest vote, as the Consensus Candidate. Moghalu was very close to becoming that Candidate. He lost to Durotoye by just one vote in a very transparent election. How could he suddenly turn around and claim that the process was designed to ambush his ambition?
Moghalu owes Dr Oby Ezekwesili and members of PACT an apology for this deliberate misinformation.
SUMMARY
It’s on record, that Moghalu called members of PACT individually ahead of the election, and even sent lobysts across to others, soliciting for their votes, on the grounds that he’s the “most qualified” of all the New Breed Presidential hopefuls in Nigeria.
Yet in a recent interview, he said he does not consider the PACT’s process as credible!
When asked by the interviewer what his position would have been if he had won, he said; “if I had won, it would have been credible”!
So, the process is “not credible”, simply because he lost.
Kingsley Moghalu has shown that he’s not worthy of public trust, as his utterances since he did not emerge as the Consensus Candidate of PACT have been heavily laden with lies and deliberate mis-information.
It is therefore time and imperative for us to publish this rebuttal statement.
We hope that this statement shall set straight all public information and records related to PACT and at the same time, factually defend Oby Ezekwesili from any further unwarranted attacks for the patriotic role she played as our umpire.
Signed on behalf of PACT:
*Dr Thomas-Wilson Ikubese
*Mathias Tsado
*Fela Durotoye
*Dr Favour Oluwamuyiwa
*Dr Elishama Ideh
* Dare Fagbemi
*Victor Ani-Laju
*Godstime Iroabuchi
*Clement Jimbo
