Senator Ali Ndume urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Wednesday to suspend the planned enforcement of Nigeria’s controversial new tax reform laws and launch a probe into alleged post-legislative alterations, saying unresolved doubts threaten the laws’ legitimacy.
Ndume made the call in a statement issued in Abuja on Wednesday amid growing outrage over claims that the tax laws were tampered with after being passed by the National Assembly.
The tax reforms have sparked protests from opposition politicians, civil society organisations and professional bodies, including the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), all urging the Federal Government to halt implementation pending a full investigation.
Reacting to the controversy, Ndume urged President Tinubu to set up an ad hoc committee to verify the authenticity of the laws and investigate allegations that the version gazetted by the Federal Government differs from what lawmakers approved.
The former Senate Chief Whip warned that pushing ahead with the implementation of the laws without addressing the allegations would erode public trust and undermine the credibility of the legislative process.
“With the controversy surrounding it, the President should constitute a team to verify the veracity of the claim and act accordingly,” Ndume said.
“As a responsive leader that he has always been, he should look into it to find out whether the claim of alterations was genuine so that he will do the needful to bring the controversy to rest.”
He cautioned that failure to act would deepen the crisis.
“If not, the controversy will continue. That is to say, the tax law will not be implemented, because you can’t build on nothing,” Ndume warned.
He added that the President should suspend implementation of the laws in light of mounting opposition.
“So many civil society organisations, the Arewa Community, the Nigerian Bar Association are saying that he should withdraw the Tax Law and investigate the allegation of forgery,” he said.
“Therefore, Mr President should get to the root of the allegation of forgery. The small committee that will be set up should look into it while the House of Representatives does its own.”
The controversy escalated on Tuesday when NBA President, Afam Osigwe (SAN), warned that the dispute surrounding the tax laws threatens the integrity of Nigeria’s constitutional and legislative framework.
Osigwe said the allegations strike at the heart of constitutional governance and called for an open and transparent probe to restore public confidence.
Tensions heightened last week after a member of the House of Representatives, Abdussamad Dasuki, alleged that the tax laws gazetted by the Federal Government were materially different from the final version passed by the National Assembly and transmitted to the President for assent.
