2027: Anxiety Over Governance As 209 Public Officials Join Tinubu’s APC Campaign Council

Fresh concerns have emerged over the ability of serving government officials to balance their constitutional responsibilities with political campaigning ahead of Nigeria’s 2027 general election, following the appointment of 209 public officials to the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential campaign council.

The development comes despite President Bola Tinubu’s pledge that his administration’s governance responsibilities would not be suspended or neglected because of election preparations.

Civil society organisations (CSOs) are now demanding stronger monitoring by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), anti-corruption agencies and public auditors to prevent campaign activities from interfering with public administration, legislative oversight and the management of public funds.

An analysis by Sunday Vanguard indicates that 209 serving officials are among the 313 members of the expanded campaign council, accounting for approximately two-thirds of its membership. The officials include state governors, ministers, legislators, National Assembly leaders and other political appointees.

President Insists Government Work Must Continue

Tinubu gave the assurance on Wednesday during the inauguration of the campaign council at the State House in Abuja, declaring that his official responsibilities would continue despite the intensifying political activities ahead of the 2027 polls.

He said he would remain engaged with Nigerians on his administration’s achievements and development plans, while the campaign council would oversee political mobilisation across the country’s states and local government areas.

“The responsibility of this office does not pause. So you will excuse me from going everywhere with you. We have bills to pay. The job must go on,” the President said.

He stressed the need to maintain Nigeria’s economic commitments and attract investment.

The warning against distractions has also come from the legislature. Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, recently urged lawmakers to ensure that preparations for the next election did not compromise their lawmaking and oversight responsibilities.

Addressing members when the House resumed plenary after its annual recess, Abbas said political competition must not take precedence over constitutional duties.

“Our conduct must justify their confidence. Debate may be vigorous, but it must remain responsible. Political competition must not displace our constitutional duties,” he said.

Abbas added that the 10th National Assembly was approaching the end of its tenure and should evaluate its performance while concentrating on pending legislative matters.

Despite these assurances, CSOs say clear rules, measurable safeguards and enforceable consequences are needed to ensure that public officials do not misuse their positions for partisan purposes.

Governors’ Roles In Campaign Finance Attract Attention

ActionAid Nigeria Country Director, Dr Andrew Mamedu, said the issue was not whether government officials had the right to participate in politics, but whether their political activities would come at the expense of effective governance.

“The fundamental concern here is not that public officials are participating in politics. They have a democratic right to do so. The concern is whether governance is being sacrificed for campaigning, and whether public resources will be deployed to secure partisan advantage.

“The APC must demonstrate that the business of government will continue and that taxpayers will not be made to finance the ruling party’s electoral ambitions,” Mamedu said.

Concerns have particularly centred on the appointment of serving governors and public officials to positions responsible for campaign finance and fundraising.

Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori has been named Director of Finance/Treasury, while Kogi State Governor Usman Ododo is the Deputy Director. Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun is listed as Director of Fundraising, with Nigeria Revenue Service Chairman Zacch Adedeji serving as Deputy Director of Fundraising.

Given their official responsibilities for public expenditure, revenue collection and government contracts, the appointments have prompted calls for safeguards to prevent any overlap between public resources and party campaign financing.

Okechukwu Nwanguma, Executive Director of the Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre (RULAAC), identified several risks that authorities should monitor. These include the possible diversion of security votes or ministry funds, the use of government vehicles and aircraft for campaign activities, pressure on contractors to contribute to political fundraising, and the classification of campaign expenditure as official government spending.

He called on INEC, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to introduce effective monitoring arrangements ahead of the election.

Nwanguma also advocated transparent records of campaign contributions and spending, disclosure of donors, independent examination of campaign accounts and audits of unusual government expenditure.

Mamedu called for mandatory campaign finance disclosures, independent audits of campaign spending and stricter conflict-of-interest rules for governors and ministers participating in fundraising.

“Government money must never become campaign money. Every naira diverted from public services to partisan politics is a betrayal of the Nigerian taxpayer,” he said.

The CSOs were careful to distinguish potential risks from established misconduct, emphasising that the appointment of officials to campaign positions is not, on its own, proof of wrongdoing.

National Assembly Leadership Faces Accountability Questions

The presence of senior lawmakers on the campaign council has raised further questions about the independence of the National Assembly and its ability to hold the executive accountable.

The council includes Senate President Godswill Akpabio, Speaker Tajudeen Abbas, Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin, Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu and Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele, among other serving legislators.

Nwanguma argued that lawmakers occupying prominent campaign positions must be subject to safeguards that protect their legislative responsibilities.

He proposed requiring them to disclose their campaign roles, refrain from campaign activities during plenary and committee sessions, and withdraw from inquiries where their political responsibilities create direct conflicts of interest.

Auwal Musa Rafsanjani, Executive Director of the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC), called on the Senate and House of Representatives to enforce attendance rules, publish legislative calendars and disclose absences linked to campaign activities.

He further argued that principal officers unable to discharge their legislative responsibilities effectively because of campaign commitments should give up their campaign appointments.

Mamedu said performance should be measured through legislative attendance, committee meetings, productivity and the continued scrutiny of public expenditure.

“The National Assembly cannot become a campaign secretariat. Nigerians need lawmakers who scrutinise the government, not legislators too distracted by campaigning to hold it accountable,” he said.

Rafsanjani noted that serving governors, ministers and legislators had participated in earlier presidential campaigns, including the APC campaigns of 2019 and 2023. Nevertheless, he maintained that precedent should not be used to excuse dereliction of duty or the abuse of incumbency.

CSOs Seek Stronger Legal Separation Of Government And Party Activities

Beyond immediate oversight measures, the organisations want Nigeria to introduce a comprehensive legal framework regulating partisan activities by public officials.

Nwanguma proposed adopting a Nigerian equivalent of the United States’ Hatch Act, tailored to Nigeria’s constitutional arrangements and political system.

The American law restricts most federal executive-branch employees from certain partisan political activities, including using official authority or government resources to influence elections. The President and Vice President are exempt, while elected legislators are governed by separate rules.

The United Kingdom’s Ministerial Code also requires ministers to separate government responsibilities from party-political activities and bars the use of government resources for partisan purposes.

According to Nwanguma, Nigeria could adopt similar safeguards to regulate the use of public offices, government vehicles, staff, communication facilities and public funds during election campaigns.

He also stressed the need to protect civil servants from being compelled to participate in partisan activities or make political donations.

Mamedu supported enforceable restrictions on the use of government personnel, public funds, official vehicles and institutional budgets for campaign purposes.

“The test of democracy is not whether the ruling party can win an election. It is whether the ruling party can contest an election without using the resources of the state to its advantage,” he said.

“Winning an election does not give a political party ownership of the Nigerian state. The government belongs to every Nigerian, including citizens who will never vote for the ruling party,” he added.

Electoral Act Cited In Push For Transparency

The CSOs also pointed to Section 95(2) of the Electoral Act 2022, which prohibits the use of state apparatus, including the media, to favour or disadvantage a political party or candidate.

They want INEC to establish clear guidelines separating official duties from campaign schedules, requiring distinct financial records and preventing the use of public personnel and facilities for party-political activities.

They also called for greater scrutiny of donations from government contractors and businesses subject to official regulation, as well as stricter enforcement of existing electoral provisions and meaningful penalties for violations.

Mamedu summarised the organisations’ position with a call for a clear distinction between party campaigning and the use of state resources.

“Our message is simple: campaign with your party’s money, not taxpayers’ money. Campaign with party structures, not government institutions. The 2027 election must be a contest of ideas, policies and performance, not a contest between a political party and the resources of the Nigerian state.”

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