Melaye accuses Tinubu and APC of desperation over Zacch Adedeji’s reported campaign fundraising role while serving as NRS chairman
Former Kogi West senator Dino Melaye accused President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress of desperation on Monday, August 24, 2026, over the reported appointment of Nigeria Revenue Service chairman Zacch Adedeji as Deputy Director of Fundraising for Tinubu’s 2027 presidential campaign.
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Melaye made the allegation during an interview on Arise Television’s Prime Time, saying he planned to challenge Adedeji’s reported campaign role in court.
The former lawmaker argued that Adedeji’s position as head of the NRS, a senior public office established through legislation, should prevent him from simultaneously participating in fundraising for the re-election campaign of a sitting president.
“Zacch Adedeji cannot be the chairman of the NRS and, at the same time, be a fundraiser for the presidential campaign of a sitting President,” Melaye said.
He described the situation as a potential conflict of interest and said a legal challenge would determine whether the arrangement was permissible under Nigerian law.
“There is a conflict of interest, and we want to test it in a court of law to show and expose the desperation of the APC and President Bola Tinubu,” he said.
The controversy centres on the intersection between public office and partisan political activity as preparations for the 2027 presidential election gather pace.
Adedeji was appointed chairman of the Nigeria Revenue Service by Tinubu and subsequently confirmed by the Senate. Melaye argued that the nature of the office places obligations on the NRS chairman to comply with public service rules and other applicable laws.
The former senator questioned why a serving head of a federal revenue agency would be involved in raising funds for the electoral campaign of the president who appointed him.
“The ‘I don’t care’ attitude of the President and that of the APC is very ridiculous and unacceptable. Nigeria is not a banana republic,” Melaye said.
He further alleged that Adedeji’s appointment as NRS chairman may have been connected to the revenue agency’s potential role in generating funds for Tinubu’s re-election campaign.
“The intention of the President is to appoint him as chairman of the NRS so that he can then provide funds for his re-election,” Melaye alleged.
He also referred to another senior government official whose name he said appeared on the campaign structure, although he did not provide further details during the remarks reported.
The allegations come as political activity ahead of the 2027 elections intensifies, with the APC already beginning to organise its campaign structures and opposition figures increasingly scrutinising appointments and government decisions through the lens of the coming election.
Melaye said he believed public pressure following his earlier criticism had influenced a subsequent decision concerning the campaign list.
“And I know because I cried out, in a quick turnaround, I heard that the President has suspended the list, pretending, lying and deceiving Nigerians that there are some names missing from the list,” he said.
Melaye did not present evidence in the interview to substantiate his allegation that the reported suspension was directly caused by his criticism.
His comments represent a political and legal challenge to the reported campaign arrangement rather than an established finding of wrongdoing.
Whether Adedeji’s reported fundraising role breaches any law or public service regulation would ultimately depend on the applicable legal provisions and the facts surrounding his appointment and activities.
The dispute also highlights a broader issue likely to feature prominently as the 2027 election approaches: how serving public officials should navigate political activity while occupying sensitive government positions.
For the Tinubu administration and the APC, the controversy adds another point of opposition scrutiny as the president prepares to seek another term.
For Melaye, however, the issue is one he says should be settled not through political arguments but in court.
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“We will not allow it,” he said, signalling his intention to pursue the matter through legal and political channels.
