Kingsley Moghalu’s integrity is open to question after he rejected a straw poll to select a consensus candidate among the presidential aspirants to challenge the candidates of the two dominant parties – All Progressives Congress (APC) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) – in the February 2019 presidential election.

I am firmly in the race for President of Nigeria in 2019.

— Kingsley Moghalu (@MoghaluKingsley) August 30, 2018

Moghalu and 17 other presidential aspirants had agreed to select and support one of them for the presidential election under an arrangement they named Presidential Aspirants Coming Together (PACT).

Oby Ezekwesili, former Minister of Education and activist who supervised the straw poll to select the consensus candidate on Thursday said some of the aspirants pulled out of the arrangement at different stages.

Ezekwesili explained that 13 aspirants were present on Thursday while five others, including Omoyele Sowore  had dumped the initiative.

She said the 13 aspirants, including Moghalu, made statements of their collective vision to go together and vote among themselves to select a consensus candidate but two aspirants left the venue, leaving only 11 aspirants.

She said the 11 remaining aspirants eventually signed agreement to abide by the outcome of the voting, adding that they participated in the first round of voting.

She said Moghalu and two other candidates qualified for the second stage of voting because they got two votes each.

Ezekwesili said they agreed that the top 3 aspirants would recuse themselves for their eight co-aspirants to vote but one of the co-aspirants, Nicholas Felix, pulled out at this stage.

She said Moghalu and the other two top contenders agreed to go ahead with the process even when Felix left.

She said after counting the final seven votes, Fela Durotoye secured  4 votes while Moghalu got three votes.

The 8 co-aspirants became 7 when Nicholas Felix quietly left but it did not stop the 3 top candidates – @MoghaluKingsley @feladurotoye & Tsado from continuing with the Process. So, their 7 remaining Co-Aspirants voted:
Durotoye 4 Moghalu 3 & Tsado 0.
They all rose & hugged. ✍????

— Oby Ezekwesili (@obyezeks) August 30, 2018

By losing the straw poll, Moghalu was supposed to drop his presidential aspiration and throw his weight behind Durotoye who emerged the consensus candidate. However, after the poll, Moghalu announced that he is still in the race to 2019 presidential election.

By rejecting the outcome of the straw poll, Moghalu, the former deputy governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, invites questions on his integrity as he signed a pact that he knew he would not honour the result if it did not favour him. Though, he said the agreement recognised the right of the aspirants to pursue their aspiration.

2. Clause 13 of the PACT Memorandum of Understanding asserts the supremacy of the constitutional rights of the aspirants to pursue their political aspirations.

— Kingsley Moghalu (@MoghaluKingsley) August 30, 2018

Now that Moghalu has chosen to go ahead with his presidential ambition, Nigerians on Twitter are asking why he participated in the straw poll till the very end but decided not to honour it.

So Kingsley Moghalu has said he’s still firmly in the race for 2019. My question is, why go through the PACT process if he knew he’d still run regardless of the results?

— Ada Campbell ???? (@Adacampbell) August 30, 2018

Disappointed in Kingsley Moghalu. If he was not going to accept a loss, why participate in something that was not compulsory in the first place? Exhibiting same traits we criticise in our politicians

— Oladayo (@oladayo01) August 30, 2018

So disappointing that the youthful Presidential aspirants who willingly entered an arrangement with the Presidential Aspirants Coming Together (PACT) now reject the consensus outcome because it did not favour them. How are they then better than those they condemn? #RenosDarts

— Reno Omokri (@renoomokri) August 31, 2018

Its amazing that a simple PACT election

Some people cant uphold the fallouts

But want to convince us they are the credible alternative

— Cinderella Man (@Osi_Suave) August 30, 2018

You think politics is easy?

Just look at the outcome of PACT!

I guess that’s why real politicians don’t take twitter rants seriously

— Ade Of Nigeria (@Hammdriller) August 30, 2018

Now that the initiative of the 18 aspirants who agreed to present a consensus candidate has failed, it appears that the winner of 2019 presidential election will be either the incumbent president or the candidate of the PDP.