Lawyer and Arise News analyst, Frank Tietie, has condemned the inclusion of the Chairman of the Nigeria Revenue Service (NRS), Zach Adelabu Adedeji, in the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential campaign council, describing the development as “the height of indiscretion.”
Tietie, who spoke on ARISE NEWS on Monday, August 24, 2026, said the appointment blurred the line between government responsibilities and partisan politics, warning that it could create a damaging impression about the use of public office for political purposes.
“It was the height of indiscretion, indeed. Why would anybody lose a sense of discretion and propriety to that extent of making the taxman—the man who brings in revenue for Nigeria—to now be in charge of bringing revenue for the APC? What have these guys reduced government to? As if it’s a matter of personal affair of the president,” Tietie said.
He attributed the development to what he described as a combination of desperation to win the election, efforts to please President Bola Tinubu and a failure to distinguish between governance and party politics.
“It’s a mixture of many things: desperation to win, desperation to please the president, and a sense of irresponsibility to the Nigerian people. They are failing to make a distinction between party politics and governance. Yes, it’s an election year, but the president should not lose sight that he is the president of the entire Nigeria, not just of political parties,” he said.
“When you reduce the campaign to a matter where it has to be those who have now had a share or collected money coming to contribute to the campaign, that is very wrong,” he added.
‘Governance Has Become Opportunistic’
Tietie also linked the APC’s withdrawal of its campaign council list and the subsequent controversies surrounding its composition to what he called “discordance” within the administration.
“I think it’s just discordance, the craze, and the rat race among the operators of the administration in pursuit of opportunities. Governance has become opportunistic, not necessarily for contributing anything to the improvement of governance, but as a way of getting a fair share of the national cake,” he said.
According to him, competing interests over influence and access to political opportunities have contributed to confusion in government.
“When there is this pursuit and clash of influences as to who gets what and to what extent, that is definitely what you get, especially when there is so much discordance.
“That discordance has affected governance in general, because so many things are done in the name of the president. Interestingly, only the president ultimately bears the responsibility for this discordance, dissonance, and embarrassment,” Tietie said.
‘It Underscores Corruption’
The analyst said the NRS chairman’s reported involvement in campaign fundraising creates an impression that could undermine public confidence in the independence of the nation’s revenue-collection system.
“First, the impression is very wrong and antithetical to the principles of democracy, governance, and separation of powers. It also underscores corruption. It simply implies that the taxman has collected money, gotten his share, and is now going to give it to the campaign of the president. Very wrong,” he said.
Tietie maintained that the head of the country’s revenue service should maintain professional independence and avoid partisan political activities, particularly those involving campaign financing.
“In fact, the taxman ought to exercise some measure of independence, be discreet, and not be allowed to be involved in politics. But to think now that the man who brings in trillions is being asked to be a member of the campaign council, with the hope of being on the finance subcommittee—for goodness’ sake, it shows that the party has stolen all the money. That man is wrong,” he said.
‘Dino Melaye Shouldn’t Waste His Time’
Reacting to ADC chieftain Dino Melaye’s decision to challenge the development in court, Tietie advised the former lawmaker to first allow public criticism to take its course, arguing that the government could reverse the decision without litigation.
“Dino Melaye shouldn’t waste his time going to court. Sometimes, that’s the beauty of criticism: when you point out something that is wrong, people should make a U-turn,” he said.
Tietie further questioned the effectiveness of the President’s advisers, saying repeated controversies surrounding decisions taken in Tinubu’s name could indicate failures within his advisory structure.
“These things keep coming, and it seems as if I’m an apologist for the president when I keep saying he didn’t know. But when you look at it, a lot of things happen in his name. Look at fake agencies—all appointments, are they not supposed to be made by the president? Look at all of those things happening in his name,” he said.
He called for greater scrutiny of the roles played by presidential advisers and other officials involved in decision-making.
“As an analyst, I try to go behind the curtain and see what could have actually been the issue. Is it a result of advisers who are not doing their job, who are embroiled in politics of self-interest to the extent that they forget to protect the president? Who is the General Counsel to the President?” Tietie asked.
He, however, said criticism of the President should also recognise possible failures within his administration.
“So we have to be careful. While we criticize him, we must also point out these lapses. You cannot take the taxman to raise funds for your campaign,” he insisted.
