Sunday, December 21, 2025 - The African Democratic Congress has called for the immediate suspension of Nigeria’s recently introduced tax laws, alleging that critical sections were modified after approval by the National Assembly and assent by President Bola Tinubu, a development the party described as a grave constitutional breach.
In a statement issued on Saturday by its National Publicity
Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, the party warned that altering legislation after
approval by the legislature raises concerns that President Tinubu is allegedly
seeking to centralise power.
The party’s reaction followed a point of privilege raised on
December 17 by Hon. Abdussamad Dasuki (PDP – Sokoto) in the House of
Representatives, in which he drew attention to discrepancies between the
harmonised bills passed by lawmakers and the versions later released to the
public.
In response, the opposition party demanded an immediate halt
to the implementation of the tax laws to enable the National Assembly review
the alleged alterations and take appropriate corrective action.
The statement read in part: “The African Democratic Congress
has reviewed various reports which confirm doubts that the various tax laws
passed by the National Assembly and signed into law by President Bola Tinubu
contain substantial alterations of key provisions that were not part of the
original legislation approved by the legislature.
“ADC’s forensic review of the original laws and the gazetted
versions has also established beyond doubt that key accountability provisions
were deleted, while new clauses were inserted granting coercive powers to the
Executive in enforcing the tax laws without recourse to the courts. For
example, one of the insertions allegedly grants the government the express
power to arrest individuals and take over their property for non-compliance
with the tax laws.
“The ADC’s position on the so-called tax reforms has been
made clear. We do not support any tax measures that are likely to compound the
hardship already faced by citizens and businesses. However, this issue goes
beyond taxation. It reflects a mindset that shows disregard for democratic
institutions and constitutional boundaries.”
The party further described any post-legislative alteration
of laws as a direct assault on constitutional governance.
“Altering legislation and gazetting it after it has been
passed by 469 elected representatives of the Nigerian people is a direct
assault on constitutional governance. It is indicative of totalitarian
tendencies by a President seeking to concentrate power, even if it means
violating the Constitution from which he derives his authority,” the statement
said.
The ADC called for a thorough investigation and swift
prosecution of any government official found culpable in the alleged forgery.
It added: “For the avoidance of doubt, under our
Constitution, only the legislature has the power to make laws. Any legislation
not passed in accordance with constitutional provisions cannot stand. To accept
that the Executive can insert or remove even a punctuation mark after passage
is to usurp legislative authority, which poses a grave danger to our democracy.
“The ADC therefore calls for the immediate suspension of all
2025 tax laws signed by President Bola Tinubu to allow for a full legislative
review. This is the only reasonable course of action to preserve the principle
of separation of powers enshrined in the Constitution.
“We also call for a full investigation and the immediate
prosecution of any government official found culpable in this alleged act of
forgery, which strikes at the very heart of our democracy.”
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