Vice-presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Musa Rabiu Kwankwaso, has raised concerns over the appointment of Nigeria Revenue Service (NRS) Executive Chairman, Zacch Adedeji, and Budget Office of the Federation Director-General, Taminu Yakubu, to the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential campaign council.
The APC had on Saturday unveiled a 108-member council to coordinate its campaign for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid in the 2027 general elections.
The campaign council is headed by Senator Abdulaziz Yari, who was appointed Director-General, while Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodimma, serves as secretary.
Yakubu was named treasurer, while Adedeji was appointed deputy director of fundraising.
However, Kwankwaso, in a statement on Sunday, questioned the involvement of senior officials overseeing critical public institutions in partisan campaign activities.
He argued that the roles could raise questions about the neutrality and public perception of the agencies under their leadership.
“The leadership of critical public institutions demands neutrality, integrity and public confidence,” Kwankwaso said.
He questioned whether officials responsible for managing the country’s revenue and finances could simultaneously hold senior positions in a partisan political campaign without compromising confidence in the institutions they lead.
Kwankwaso also used the development to highlight the economic challenges facing Nigerians, citing the rising cost of food and other essential commodities, unemployment, insecurity and declining opportunities for young people.
He said farmers and businesses were struggling, while public services, including education and healthcare, remained under significant pressure.
The NDC chieftain urged Nigerians to reject what he described as “continued oppression” and demand accountable and people-oriented governance.
Kwankwaso also appealed to Yari to reconsider his decision to serve as Director-General of the APC campaign council.
According to him, Yari, having served as governor of Zamfara State and being a prominent political figure in the North-West, should be aware of the devastating impact of insecurity, poverty, unemployment and displacement on communities in the region.
“I therefore will be surprised if, in his good conscience, he will lead a campaign whose principal objective is to secure the continuation of a government under which many of the people he once governed, and other innocent Nigerians, remain trapped in these challenges,” he said.
The former Kano State governor further framed the 2027 election as a contest between Nigerians struggling under current conditions and those he accused of benefiting from the existing political system.
He urged voters to use the election to demand a fundamental change in the country’s leadership and governance.
Kwankwaso is the running mate to Peter Obi, the NDC presidential candidate for the 2027 election.
Leave a Reply