2027 Presidency: Melaye Threatens Legal Action Over FIRS Boss Adedeji’s Role in Tinubu’s Campaign Council

In a move that signals an early and aggressive start to the 2027 political maneuvering, former Kogi West Senator Dino Melaye has vowed to initiate legal proceedings against the Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Zacch Adedeji. The crux of the dispute lies in Adedeji's controversial appointment to the campaign council of President Bola Tinubu ahead of the upcoming presidential election. Melaye, a prominent chieftain of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), contends that a sitting tax chief mobilizing resources and leading campaigns for a political party is a dangerous precedent that compromises the integrity of Nigeria's revenue agency.

According to reports, the PDP stalwart asserts that Adedeji’s involvement in active party politics violates the Public Service Rules and the Code of Conduct for Public Officers, which explicitly forbid public servants from engaging in partisan activities that could interfere with their official duties. Melaye argues that the FIRS is a public institution funded by taxpayers and must remain strictly non-partisan, serving all Nigerians regardless of their political affiliations.

While the presidency has yet to issue an official reaction, legal analysts are already divided on the matter. Some argue that public officers appointed by the President serve at his pleasure and are distinct from career civil servants, while others maintain that heads of critical institutions like the FIRS must maintain absolute neutrality to prevent the weaponization of tax machinery against political opponents. The threatened lawsuit has already sparked intense debate within the capital, setting the stage for a major constitutional showdown.