By Ayodele Oni
Former federal lawmaker, Senator Dino Melaye has kicked against the inclusion of some personalities in the All Progressives Congress APC Campaign Committee.
Melaye was particularly angered by the appointment of Dr Zacch Adedeji, the Executive Chairman of the Nigeria Revenue Service, NRS, as Deputy Director of Fundraising for the 2027 presidential campaign.
He has, therefore, threatened to drag President Bola Tinubu to court for the Dr Adedeji’s appointment.
The All Progressives Congress, (APC), had on Saturday unveiled members of its campaign council, with some controversial names featuring on the list.
The appointment of Adedeji sparked reactions on social media, with many Nigerians alleging that their taxes could be diverted to fund the president’s re-election bid.
Reacting, Dino Melaye, in a video clip shared on his Facebook page, said the development must be challenged in court.
According to Melaye, the decision of the NRS chairman to serve as Deputy Director of Fundraising shows a conflict of interest.
He said: “The most disturbing part of the list released by the APC is seeing the chairman of the Nigerian Revenue Service (NRS), the body that collects our revenue, serving as Director in charge of fundraising for Tinubu’s presidential campaign.
“Is there no conflict in this? As a lawyer, by the grace of God, on Monday, I’m heading to court. We have to test that. If that is not a conflict of interest, then I don’t know what would be.
“That a civil servant, a man who earns a salary and is supposed to adhere to public service rules, is not just supporting a presidential candidate but serving as Deputy Director in charge of fundraising.”
While reacting to the APC campaign council composition, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) described it as a “rehabilitation centre” for persons facing unresolved corruption questions.
In a statement by Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the ADC National Publicity Secretary, the party questioned the inclusion of former officials Betta Edu and Ngozi Olejeme, calling on the government to disclose whether outstanding corruption cases involving them had been resolved or this appointment is Tinubu’s way of pardoning corrupt officials affiliated with his party.
The party says most of the individuals assembled for the President’s campaign lack credibility, insisting that the 2027 general election is going to be a referendum on Tinubu’s performance in the last three years.
The statement reads: “We have taken note of the composition of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s 2027 campaign council.
“What should ordinarily be a political task team ends up looking like a rehabilitation system for individuals carrying unresolved questions of corruption and public accountability.
“We note, especially the inclusion of former Humanitarian Affairs Minister Betta Edu, who was suspended by President Tinubu following the controversy surrounding the attempted transfer of N585 million into a private account as well as Former NSITF Chairman Ngozi Olejeme, who has faced EFCC prosecution over allegations of financial malpractices, among others whose name carry pungent odour of corruption.
“One important question that the inclusion of these individuals provokes is what happened to the cases involving these individuals.
“If they have been cleared, the government should show how and when and by whom they were cleared. It has become a familiar pattern under this administration for investigations into financial crimes to quietly disappear only for the accused to suddenly reappear in a different official role.
“Under this government, corruption allegations increasingly appear to have an expiry date. Once a person becomes politically useful enough, yesterday’s questions apparently no longer require today’s answers.”
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