Government becomes a department of one political party
By ADEMOLA AKINNOLA*
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has made a decision that should alarm every Nigerian. He has taken two of the most sensitive offices in this country and handed them over to his campaign.
This is not politics as usual. This is a red line. And if we are quiet about it today, we will regret it tomorrow.
The NIMC chief, guardian of our data, now campaign data manager
Dr Abisoye Coker-Odusote sits on the most dangerous database in Nigeria. As DG of NIMC, she holds the fingerprints, NINs, photos, and addresses of over 136 million Nigerians. That same woman is now “Director of Data Management” for the APC Presidential Campaign Council.
Let me ask it directly: What exactly will she be “managing”? Our NINs? Our biometrics? Our voting patterns?
The woman sworn to protect our privacy is now working for a political party. That is not just a conflict of interest. That is a threat to every Nigerian’s identity.
When the person who guards the vault also runs the heist, no one is safe.
The tax chief, collector of our money, now campaign fundraiser
Zacheus Adedeji is chairman of the Nigerian Revenue Service. He takes money from your salary, your business, your market. He controls the revenue that builds roads, pays teachers, and buys drugs in hospitals. He is also now “Deputy Director of Fund Raising” for Tinubu’s campaign. So the tax collector is now the campaign collector.
Tell me where public money stops and campaign money starts. Tell me how Nigerians can trust that their taxes will not be used to fund one man’s ambition.
This is corruption in broad daylight. And it is being normalized.
A warning to all of us
Mr President, you have the right to campaign. But you do not have the right to hijack the state to do it.
Dr Coker-Odusote and Mr Adedeji, you have a choice to make today. Resign from the campaign council, or resign from government. You cannot serve Nigerians and serve a political party at the same time. Not with NIMC. Not with NRS.
To the civil service: If this stands, no agency is safe. Tomorrow it will be CBN. Next it will be INEC. Then the entire government becomes a department of one party.
To citizens: If we keep quiet, we are giving them permission. Permission to use your NIN to target you. Permission to use your taxes to buy your vote.
Some will say “other presidents did it.” That is the excuse of cowards. A wrong does not become right because it is old.
NIMC and NRS are not party offices. They belong to 230 million Nigerians.
The line must be drawn now
This is my warning:
Withdraw these two names immediately.
Keep government out of campaigns.
Keep our data out of politics.
Keep our money out of elections.
If you don’t, Nigerians will know exactly what 2027 is about. It will not be about “Renewed Hope”. It will be about using state power, state data, and state money to force a result.
And a democracy built on that foundation will not stand.
Nigerians deserve leaders who know the difference between governing and campaigning. Between public service and personal ambition.
The time to speak out is now. Before it is too late.
*Otunba Akinnola is a public affairs commentator & advocate for good governance
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