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ABUJA, NIGERIA — The Conference of Nigeria Political Parties (CNPP) has intensified pressure on the Executive Chairman of the Nigeria Revenue Service (NRS), Dr. Zacch Adedeji, to immediately resign from office if he intends to participate actively in the 2027 presidential campaign of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), insisting that his reported role in the party’s campaign fundraising structure raises a fundamental conflict-of-interest question that cannot be resolved merely by withdrawing his name from a campaign list.
The CNPP, in a strongly worded statement signed by its Deputy National Publicity Secretary, Comrade James Ezema, on Tuesday, August 25, 2026, said the controversy was not fundamentally about whether Adedeji’s name remained on a particular document but about whether the head of Nigeria’s principal revenue institution could simultaneously occupy a prominent position in the partisan campaign machinery seeking the re-election of the incumbent President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Adedeji was reportedly listed as Deputy Director of Fundraising in the APC’s 2027 Presidential Campaign Council, placing the serving NRS chairman within a political structure directly involved in mobilising resources for the President’s re-election bid.
The development has generated questions over the boundaries between an individual public officer’s constitutional right to participate in politics and the obligation of a senior public official to maintain institutional neutrality.
The CNPP said those questions had become too serious to be dismissed as partisan opposition politics.
According to Ezema, the controversy was further complicated by conflicting reports over the status of the campaign council list.
While reports had suggested that the APC subsequently withdrew the list for review, the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, reportedly dismissed the claim as rumour and indicated that any alteration to the list would be formally announced.
The CNPP said it would therefore not base its position on an unconfirmed withdrawal.
“Even if the APC withdraws, amends or replaces the list tomorrow, the fundamental conflict of interest surrounding the NRS Chairman’s reported political involvement does not disappear merely because his name is removed from a document,” the organisation said.
The group argued that the central question was not the existence of the campaign council list but the appropriateness of a serving head of the country’s revenue administration actively participating in partisan fundraising for the political party controlling the Federal Government.
“The central issue is whether the person entrusted with administering Nigeria’s tax and revenue system can simultaneously become an active political operative in the campaign to retain the incumbent President in office,” the CNPP stated.
It insisted that the answer must be no.
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Political Rights Versus Public Office
The CNPP was, however, careful to distinguish between Adedeji’s constitutional rights as a citizen and the responsibilities attached to his public office.
The group acknowledged that Section 40 of the 1999 Constitution guarantees citizens the right to freely associate and belong to political parties.
It stressed that it was not asking the NRS chairman to surrender his citizenship rights or membership of the APC.
According to the CNPP, Adedeji has the constitutional right to support the APC, belong to the party and even pursue a political career.
But, it argued, those rights do not grant a serving public officer unrestricted freedom to undertake political activities that could conflict with, or create the appearance of conflicting with, the responsibilities of his official position.
“That distinction is fundamental,” the group declared.
“A citizen may be partisan. A public institution must be impartial.”
The CNPP maintained that the head of a national revenue institution should be held to an especially high standard because of the sensitive nature of the responsibilities attached to the office.
Constitutional Conflict-Of-Interest Question
At the heart of the controversy, according to the political parties’ coalition, is the conflict-of-interest principle contained in the Fifth Schedule to the 1999 Constitution.
The CNPP argued that the constitutional principle prohibiting public officers from placing themselves in situations where their personal interests conflict with their official duties was directly relevant to the Adedeji controversy.
The group pointed to the contrast between the responsibilities of the NRS chairman and the reported campaign assignment.
On one hand, Adedeji heads an institution responsible for the administration of Nigeria’s federal tax and revenue system.
On the other, he was reportedly designated Deputy Director of Fundraising in a presidential campaign structure established to secure the re-election of the incumbent President.
The CNPP described presidential campaign fundraising as “quintessentially partisan political activity” and questioned how the same individual could simultaneously maintain public confidence in his neutrality while participating in the mobilisation of resources for the ruling party’s presidential campaign.
“How can the same individual be entrusted with the impartial administration of Nigeria’s revenue system while simultaneously being positioned to mobilise financial resources for the political campaign of the government under which he serves?” the group asked.
It stressed that establishing a conflict of interest did not necessarily require evidence of corruption or diversion of public funds.
“Conflict of interest is not synonymous with corruption,” the CNPP said, arguing that public ethics frameworks were designed to prevent compromising situations from occurring rather than waiting until public funds were actually misused.
Revenue Administration Under Scrutiny
The CNPP further argued that the position occupied by Adedeji was particularly sensitive because of the strategic importance of the NRS to Nigeria’s fiscal system.
It noted that the Nigeria Revenue Service is responsible for administering the country’s federal tax and revenue framework and therefore requires a high degree of professionalism, public confidence and institutional neutrality.
According to the group, the credibility of the revenue system depends not only on whether officials perform their duties according to the law but also on whether taxpayers perceive the institution as impartial.
The CNPP warned that partisan association by the head of the revenue institution could undermine that confidence.
“A taxpayer who supports the opposition must be able to look at the NRS Chairman and see the chairman of Nigeria’s revenue service — not an APC campaign fundraiser,” it said.
The group maintained that the perception of political influence could be damaging even in the absence of evidence that official powers had been abused.
For the CNPP, the issue is therefore as much about institutional credibility as it is about legal compliance.
Public Service Rules Come Under Focus
The organisation also drew attention to provisions of the Federal Government Public Service Rules regulating partisan political activities by public officers.
It specifically cited Rule 030422, which addresses restrictions on officers holding positions in political organisations and engaging in specified forms of partisan political activity without requisite government permission, as well as Rule 030423, which addresses resignation in connection with partisan political activity and elective political office.
The CNPP has consequently called on the Presidency, the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation and relevant ethics authorities to clarify whether Adedeji obtained any lawful approval, waiver or exemption permitting him to participate in the APC Presidential Campaign Council while remaining NRS chairman.
The umbrella body of registered political parties and political associations in Nigeria said the public deserves to know the legal basis for any such approval if one exists.
It also demanded an explanation if no approval was obtained as to why the relevant Public Service Rules would not apply to the NRS chairman.
“Nigeria cannot operate a public service in which rules apply selectively depending on the political importance of the individual concerned,” the CNPP warned.
Withdrawal Of Name Does Not End Controversy — CNPP
The CNPP also rejected the suggestion that the controversy would automatically disappear if Adedeji’s name was eventually removed from the campaign council list.
The organisation said withdrawal would be welcomed if confirmed, but insisted that it would only constitute an initial step rather than a complete resolution of the issue.
According to the group, if the NRS chairman had already accepted or undertaken a partisan campaign responsibility, removing his name from a document would not necessarily erase the underlying ethical question.
“Removing a name from a list does not remove an existing conflict of interest,” the CNPP declared.
It added that public confidence could not simply be restored through administrative alterations to a campaign document.
The organisation argued that the publication of the campaign structure and the reported designation of Adedeji as Deputy Director of Fundraising had already created legitimate public concerns regarding the possibility of political influence over Nigeria’s revenue administration.
“The fear of political influence over Nigeria’s revenue administration has therefore already entered the public domain,” it said.
The CNPP consequently argued that if Adedeji intends to continue actively participating in partisan politics and the APC’s 2027 campaign, resignation from the NRS chairmanship would provide the clearest way of removing the cloud over the institution.
‘Resignation Is Not Punishment’
The political parties’ coalition was also emphatic that its demand for Adedeji’s resignation should not be interpreted as an accusation of criminality.
The CNPP stressed that resignation, in the circumstances it described, would not amount to punishment.
Rather, it said resignation would represent an ethical option for a public officer who chooses to pursue political activity that may be incompatible with the neutrality expected of his public office.
“If Dr. Adedeji’s political ambition is to become more active in the APC and participate in President Tinubu’s re-election campaign, he should be free to do so,” the organisation said.
“But he should first leave the NRS.”
The CNPP argued that such an approach would protect both the individual’s political freedom and the integrity of the public institution.
CNPP Challenges Tinubu To Put Institution Above Party
The organisation also placed responsibility on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to resolve the controversy transparently.
The CNPP called on the President to demonstrate that institutional integrity would take precedence over partisan considerations by clarifying the status of Adedeji’s participation in the campaign council.
It further urged the Presidency to direct appropriate authorities to determine whether the reported political involvement complied with the Constitution, the NRS Establishment Act, the Public Service Rules and applicable public-service ethics requirements.
The group said the issue should not be dismissed simply because the criticism came from political opponents of the APC administration.
Instead, it challenged the Federal Government to address the controversy through transparency and strict adherence to established rules.
“The best way for the APC-led Federal Government to silence critics is not through political statements but through complete transparency and adherence to the law,” the CNPP said.
Six-Point Demand
The CNPP subsequently issued a six-point demand aimed at resolving the controversy.
It demanded that Adedeji immediately resign as NRS executive chairman if he intends to actively participate in the APC’s 2027 presidential campaign.
Alternatively, it said he should remain outside the APC Presidential Campaign Council and refrain completely from partisan campaign fundraising and mobilisation if he wishes to retain his position as NRS chairman.
The group also demanded that the Presidency publicly disclose whether any waiver, approval or exemption was granted to permit the serving NRS chairman to undertake partisan campaign activities.
It called on the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation and relevant ethics authorities to clarify the applicability of the Public Service Rules to the NRS chairman’s reported political role.
The Code of Conduct Bureau, according to the CNPP, should also examine the circumstances surrounding the reported appointment in light of the constitutional prohibition against placing personal interests in conflict with official duties.
Finally, it demanded that the NRS publicly reaffirm its institutional neutrality and assure Nigerians that no taxpayer, business, company or political opponent would suffer discriminatory treatment on account of political affiliation.
‘The Choice Is Simple’
The CNPP concluded that the controversy had produced what it described as a straightforward choice for Adedeji.
“If he chooses partisan campaign politics, he should resign the NRS chairmanship,” the organisation stated.
“If he chooses to remain NRS Chairman, he should stay completely outside partisan campaign operations.”
The group said the demand should not be regarded as political persecution but as a question of public ethics, institutional integrity and constitutional accountability.
For the CNPP, the fundamental concern is that Nigerians must be able to trust the neutrality of the institution responsible for administering the country’s revenue system, regardless of their political affiliation.
“Dr. Adedeji has a constitutional right to pursue politics. Nigerians have an equally important right to a politically neutral revenue service,” the statement concluded.
The controversy now places the Federal Government, the NRS leadership and the APC under growing public scrutiny over where the line should be drawn between the political rights of senior public officials and the institutional neutrality expected of offices entrusted with critical national responsibilities.
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