Adedeji, Kurfi, Olusi, Fagbemi’s APC Presidential Council appointments spark concerns

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s newly constituted 2027 presidential campaign council has raised questions over the involvement of serving heads of government institutions in partisan campaign activities, particularly where their assigned roles appear closely connected to their official responsibilities.

Among those attracting attention are Zacch Adedeji, Executive Chairman of the Nigeria Revenue Service (NRS); Tanimu Yakubu Kurfi, Director-General of the Budget Office of the Federation; Lateef Fagbemi, Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice; and Supo Olusi, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Bank of Industry (BOI).

The four officials, alongside others, were listed among the members of the campaign council unveiled by the All Progressives Congress (APC) on August 22 as the ruling party begins preparations for the 2027 presidential election.

Adedeji was appointed Deputy Director of Fundraising, while Kurfi was assigned a role within the campaign’s finance structure. Fagbemi was listed among members of the Legal Directorate, while Olusi was appointed Deputy Director, Manufacturing and MSME Sector Mobilisation.

Their inclusion has generated questions about the extent to which serving officials responsible for public institutions should participate in the political campaign machinery of the party controlling the Federal Government.

Adedeji and the fundraising question

Adedeji’s appointment has perhaps attracted the most attention because of the direct connection between his official responsibilities and his campaign assignment.

As NRS chairman, Adedeji heads the federal agency responsible for tax administration and revenue collection. His appointment as Deputy Director of Fundraising in a presidential campaign has therefore prompted questions over whether the two responsibilities can comfortably coexist.

Kurfi and the Budget Office

Similar questions have been raised over the inclusion of Kurfi, who heads the Budget Office of the Federation. The Budget Office is responsible for coordinating the preparation and implementation of the Federal Government’s budget and providing fiscal information for government planning.

Kurfi’s involvement in the campaign council has therefore attracted scrutiny, particularly because of the sensitivity of the institution he heads and its role in managing information relating to public finances.

Former Kano State governor and vice-presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso specifically questioned the inclusion of Kurfi alongside Adedeji, arguing that officials responsible for public revenue and national finances should maintain institutional neutrality.

Kwankwaso’s criticism shifted the debate beyond the individuals involved to the broader issue of whether the heads of critical public institutions should simultaneously hold senior positions in a partisan presidential campaign.

Fagbemi’s legal role

Fagbemi’s inclusion presents a different dimension of the debate. As Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Fagbemi is the Federal Government’s chief legal officer. He has also been included in the Legal Directorate of the APC Presidential Campaign Council.

The question surrounding his appointment is therefore less about fundraising or public finances and more about the perceived separation between his responsibilities as the government’s chief law officer and his participation in the legal structure of a political campaign.

While Fagbemi’s legal experience makes his appointment understandable from a campaign perspective, his continued service as Attorney-General means he remains responsible for providing legal advice to the Federal Government and representing the government in legal matters.

His campaign role has consequently added another layer to the debate over the involvement of serving public officials in the APC’s electoral machinery.

Olusi and the BOI connection

Olusi’s appointment has also drawn attention because of his position as the head of the Bank of Industry.

Olusi, who serves as the bank’s Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, was named Deputy Director, Manufacturing and MSME Sector Mobilisation in the campaign council.

The Bank of Industry is a government-owned development finance institution focused on supporting businesses, industries and micro, small and medium enterprises.

That connection has prompted questions over whether the head of a public development finance institution should simultaneously occupy a senior role mobilising support for a presidential campaign, particularly one involving programmes and sectors that fall within the bank’s institutional mandate.

His appointment differs from that of Adedeji and Kurfi, but the underlying question is similar: where should the line be drawn between the responsibilities of a serving public institution head and partisan political activity?

A wider question of public office and politics

The four appointments have brought renewed attention to the presence of serving officials in the APC’s campaign structure.

The issue is not necessarily whether public officials can have political affiliations. Rather, the debate centres on whether serving heads of institutions that are expected to operate in the public interest should take active roles in a partisan campaign while remaining in charge of those institutions.

For critics, the concern is that such arrangements could blur the distinction between government institutions and the governing party, potentially affecting public confidence in the neutrality of those institutions.

The overlap is particularly noticeable in the cases of Adedeji, Kurfi and Olusi, whose campaign assignments relate in different ways to revenue, public finances, manufacturing and MSMEs — areas connected to the mandates of the institutions they lead.

However, the appointments do not automatically establish that the officials have breached any law. The criticism so far centres largely on questions of institutional propriety, neutrality, potential conflicts of interest and public perception.

The APC has not indicated that the officials will relinquish their government positions to take up their campaign assignments.

As the 2027 election approaches and campaign activities intensify, the involvement of serving public officials in partisan structures is likely to remain a subject of debate, particularly where their campaign responsibilities overlap with the mandates of the public institutions they head.

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