Adedeji’s Campaign Role Not Illegal – South-West Forum Counters Melaye, Kwankwaso

• The South-West Unity Forum says NRS Chairman Zacch Adedeji’s appointment as Deputy Director of Fundraising in Tinubu’s 2027 campaign council is not illegal merely because he heads a federal revenue agency.

• Former Senator Dino Melaye has challenged the propriety of the appointment, arguing that Adedeji’s campaign role could create a conflict of interest with his responsibilities as head of the nation’s revenue service.

• NDC vice-presidential candidate Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso has also questioned the inclusion of Adedeji and Budget Office DG Taminu Yakubu, saying public officials managing national finances must protect institutional neutrality.

• The forum says political fundraising is distinct from statutory tax collection and insists Adedeji must separate his campaign duties from his official responsibilities, with no public funds or government resources used for partisan activities.

August 24, () — The South-West Unity Forum has defended the appointment of the Executive Chairman of the Nigeria Revenue Service (NRS), Dr Zacch Adedeji, as Deputy Director of Fundraising in President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s 2027 Presidential Campaign Council, insisting that his public office does not automatically prevent him from participating in partisan political activities.

The defence followed objections from former Kogi West Senator and African Democratic Congress (ADC) chieftain, Dino Melaye, and vice-presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, over Adedeji’s inclusion in the All Progressives Congress (APC) campaign structure.

Adedeji was named Deputy Director of Fundraising under Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun, who was appointed Director of Fundraising, when the APC unveiled its 2027 Presidential Campaign Council on Saturday.

Melaye has threatened to challenge the appointment in court, questioning whether the head of the country’s revenue service can simultaneously hold a senior position in the fundraising arm of a partisan presidential campaign.

Public Office Does Not Automatically Bar Political Activity

But the South-West Unity Forum, in a statement signed by its General Secretary, Dr Rasheed Oyebisi, said the controversy must be examined against the specific provisions of the law and not based merely on assumptions about the political rights of public officials.

The forum argued that Adedeji is a presidential appointee occupying a statutory executive position and should be distinguished from a career civil servant subject to specific restrictions on partisan political activities.

The group cited the Nigeria Revenue Service Establishment Act, 2025, which provides for the appointment of the Executive Chairman by the President. It argued that Adedeji’s position as head of the NRS does not, by itself, extinguish his political rights.

According to the forum, the crucial legal question is whether any specific constitutional, statutory, regulatory or employment provision expressly prohibits Adedeji from participating in the campaign.

“The mere fact that Dr Adedeji heads the nation’s revenue service does not automatically extinguish his political rights. If there is no specific statutory or constitutional prohibition against his participation, his appointment to a campaign committee cannot simply be declared illegal by assumption”, the forum said.

The group said Melaye remained free to approach the courts if he believed a specific law had been breached, but urged stakeholders to allow the judicial process to determine the matter rather than presenting a disputed legal interpretation as settled fact.

While defending the appointment, the forum acknowledged that Adedeji must maintain a clear separation between his responsibilities as NRS chairman and his activities in the APC campaign.

It stressed that public funds, government facilities, official resources and confidential government information must not be deployed for partisan purposes.

The position means, according to the forum, that even if Adedeji is legally permitted to participate in the campaign, his official office cannot be used to advance the interests of the APC or finance the President’s re-election effort.

The group said the distinction was important in assessing the controversy surrounding his appointment.

Melaye: ‘We Have To Test That’

Melaye had earlier announced his intention to challenge Adedeji’s appointment in court, arguing that it raises questions of conflict of interest and public-service ethics.

“As a lawyer, by the grace of God, on Monday, I’m going to court. We have to test that”, Melaye said in a video posted on his official social media account.

The former senator questioned how the chairman of the country’s tax-collection agency could occupy a fundraising position in a partisan presidential campaign.

“And you are serving as the country’s Chairman of Nigerian Revenue Service (NRS), formerly known as FIRS. Is there no conflict in this?” he asked.

Melaye argued that Adedeji, as a public office holder, should comply with applicable public-service rules and ethical requirements.

His objection has also resonated with some commentators who have raised concerns about the perception of institutional neutrality when a serving head of a major revenue agency takes a prominent role in a presidential campaign.

Kwankwaso Questions Neutrality Of Public Institutions

Kwankwaso has separately criticised the inclusion of Adedeji and Taminu Yakubu, Director-General of the Budget Office of the Federation, in the APC campaign council.

While Adedeji was appointed Deputy Director of Fundraising, Yakubu was named Treasurer of the campaign council.

Kwankwaso said the leadership of institutions responsible for public revenue and national finances requires neutrality, integrity and public confidence.

“The leadership of critical public institutions demands neutrality, integrity and public confidence”, he said.

He questioned whether the responsibilities of senior officials entrusted with managing public finances could appropriately coexist with senior partisan campaign positions.

Kwankwaso also appealed to Yari, the campaign council’s Director-General, to reconsider his acceptance of the position, citing the security, poverty and economic challenges facing Nigerians.

Fundraising Not Same As Tax Collection

Defenders of Adedeji have also sought to draw a clear line between political fundraising and government revenue collection.

A typical defensive argument seen by on X, argued that Adedeji’s appointment as Deputy Director of Fundraising does not mean taxpayers’ money will be used to finance the APC campaign.

According to the argument, fundraising for a political campaign involves mobilising voluntary contributions, while tax collection is a statutory responsibility of the NRS on behalf of the Federal Government.

They also pointed out that Adedeji had experience in fundraising and financial management within the APC before becoming chairman of the revenue service, suggesting that his involvement in fundraising did not begin with his current public office.

The NRS reportedly collected ₦28.3 trillion in 2025, exceeding its ₦25.2 trillion target, while revenue collection in the first half of 2026 was put at about ₦21.6 trillion.

Supporters of Adedeji said the figures demonstrate the revenue agency’s performance but do not, in themselves, establish any connection between government revenue and political campaign financing.

They, therefore, argued that any allegation that taxpayers’ funds are being diverted to finance the APC campaign must be supported by evidence rather than inferred from Adedeji’s appointment.

A little clarification is needed here. Zacch Adedeji’s nomination to the APC Presidential Campaign Council as Deputy Director of Fundraising does not mean taxpayers’ money will be used to fund the campaign. Fundraising and tax collection are two different things.

Zacch has been…

— The Arábìnrin Adérónké JP, MNIPR (@AderonkeW) August 24, 2026