Institutional integrity vs. Campaign politics

When building a campaign team, politicians naturally seek people who bring money, technical skill and the ability to win elections.

From a purely practical political standpoint, bringing Dr. Zacch Adedeji and Dr. Betta Edu into President Bola Tinubu’s campaign apparatus makes sense. One understands finance and the other knows how to mobilize people on the ground.

However, when judged by the basic principles of good governance, public trust, and ethical leadership, their involvement may be wrong.

Putting Dr. Zacch Adedeji, the head of the nation’s tax authority, the Nigeria Revenue Service into active partisan campaign politics is a major mistake. The chief tax collector must remain strictly neutral. When the leader of the tax agency participates in partisan campaign planning and fundraising, it creates a dangerous conflict of interest. It makes citizens and businesses wonder whether tax enforcement could be used to reward political allies or punish political opponents.

To maintain public trust in the tax system, the nation’s top revenue official must stay far away from party politics.

Reintegrating Dr. Betta Edu into the heart of campaign operations is equally problematic.

Following serious allegations of public fund diversion that led to her suspension as minister, bringing her back into the political spotlight sends the wrong message entirely. It tells the public that electoral value matters more than integrity, and that being a good grassroots mobilizer can shield a politician from accountability. This severely undermines any official anti-corruption message and weakens citizen faith in honest governance.

Winning elections is important to any political party, but protecting the credibility of public institutions matters much more. Blurring the line between national revenue collection and party campaigns weakens the civil service, just as welcoming back an embattled former official weakens the fight against corruption. Sacrificing institutional neutrality and moral standards for short-term campaign gains is a dangerous choice that damages democracy.