By RismadarVoice Media
December 23, 2025
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has called for the immediate suspension of Nigeria’s newly enacted tax law, describing the alleged post-legislative changes as “a brazen act of treason against the Nigerian people and a direct assault on our constitutional democracy.”
In a statement issued on Tuesday via X (formerly Twitter), Atiku condemned what he termed unauthorised alterations to the tax legislation after its passage by the National Assembly, accusing the executive arm of government of undermining legislative authority.
“This draconian overreach by the executive branch undermines the foundational principle of legislative supremacy in the making of laws,” Atiku said.
“It reveals a government more interested in extracting wealth from struggling citizens than empowering them to prosper.”
The former Vice President highlighted provisions he described as unconstitutional, including arrest powers for tax authorities, property seizure without court orders, and enforcement sales without judicial oversight.
According to him, these provisions transform tax officials into quasi-law enforcement agents and erode due process safeguards deliberately included by lawmakers.
Atiku also criticised financial requirements contained in the law, such as mandatory 20 per cent security deposits before appealing tax assessments, compound interest on tax liabilities, and foreign currency-based computation for petroleum operations.
“These changes erect financial barriers that prevent ordinary Nigerians from challenging unjust assessments, while increasing compliance costs for businesses already operating in a difficult economic environment,” he said.
He further accused the government of removing accountability mechanisms, warning that such actions reflect authoritarian tendencies.
“By stripping away oversight mechanisms, the government has insulated itself from accountability while expanding its powers, a hallmark of authoritarian governance,” he added.
Atiku called on key institutions and stakeholders to intervene, urging the Executive to suspend implementation of the law scheduled to take effect on January 1, 2026, to allow for a proper investigation.
He also urged the National Assembly to correct the alleged illegal alterations, the Judiciary to strike down unconstitutional provisions, and civil society organisations to resist what he described as an assault on democratic principles.
Atiku further called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to investigate and prosecute anyone found culpable in the alleged illegal alteration of the law.
“What the National Assembly did not pass cannot become law. This fundamental principle must be defended,” Atiku said, adding that Nigerians deserve governance rooted in constitutional compliance and economic fairness.
The controversy began last week when a member of the House of Representatives, Abdulsamad Dasuki, raised concerns over discrepancies between the tax laws passed by the National Assembly and the versions later gazetted and released to the public.
Dasuki alleged that the differences amounted to a breach of lawmakers’ legislative rights.
However, the Federal Government has rejected the claims.
The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, said on Monday in Abuja that there is only one authentic version of the tax reform laws, which was duly assented to by President Bola Tinubu.
Idris insisted that the legislation followed due legislative process, including consultations and debates, and dismissed claims of post-passage alterations.
Similarly, the Chairman of the Presidential Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms Committee, Taiwo Oyedele, denied allegations of secret changes to the law, warning that failure to implement the reforms from January 1 could have serious consequences for the country’s fiscal stability.
