A public policy and good governance think tank, Neo Africana Centre (NAC), has called on President Bola Tinubu to withdraw the Chairman of the Nigeria Revenue Service (NRS), Zack Adedeji, from the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council.
The group said Adedeji’s reported appointment as Deputy Director of Fundraising for the President’s campaign could create a conflict of interest, given his position as the country’s chief revenue officer.
In a statement by its Director of Public Affairs, Richard Manson, NAC said the involvement of the NRS chairman in partisan fundraising could undermine public confidence in the revenue agency and raise questions about the separation between public office and political activities.
The group said: “We have noted with consternation and disbelief the recent appointment of the chairman of the Nigeria Revenue Service (NRS), Mr Zach Adedeji, into the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council.
“We find it difficult to resolve the position of Adedeji as the chief revenue officer of the federation with the partisan role of raising campaign funds for the president that appointed him. We see a clash of interest here.”
NAC argued that involving the head of a government agency in an election campaign could compromise the agency’s neutrality and expose the official to allegations of impropriety.
The organisation also expressed concern that Adedeji’s reported fundraising role could create the perception that public resources might be channelled into partisan activities.
It called on the Federal Government to ensure greater transparency and accountability in the management of public funds, particularly by agencies responsible for revenue collection.
The group further urged President Tinubu to withdraw Adedeji’s appointment from the campaign council, saying doing so would protect both the NRS and its chairman from being associated with partisan financial activities.
“It is in the president’s interest to do so. Withdrawal of his appointment will also save the revenue agency and its chairman from being dragged into the dirty pool,” NAC said.
The organisation maintained that sensitive revenue-collecting institutions should be insulated from partisan political activities to preserve public confidence in their operations.
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