FORMER Vice President Atiku Abubakar has raised serious concerns over alleged alterations to Nigeria’s recently enacted Tax Reform Acts, describing the developments as a brazen assault on the country’s democratic and legislative processes.
In a statement on Tuesday, December 23, Atiku called the alleged modifications “an act of treason against the Nigerian people.”
He accused the executive arm of the Federal Government, led by President Bola Tinubu, of undermining legislative supremacy and stripping citizens of fundamental due process protections.
He highlighted provisions of the laws granting tax authorities coercive powers, including powers to arrest, seize properties without court orders, and enforce sales conducted without judicial oversight.
These provisions transform tax collectors into quasi-law enforcement agencies, stripping Nigerians of due process protections that the National Assembly deliberately included in the laws, Atiku said.
He criticised the introduction of mandatory 20 per cent security deposits for tax appeals, compound interest on tax debts, forced USD computation for petroleum operations, and other measures that he said would increase financial burdens on citizens while removing key accountability mechanisms.
Abubakar urged the Federal Government to immediately suspend implementation of the laws scheduled to take off on January 1, 2026, pending a thorough investigation. He also called on the National Assembly to rectify the illegal alterations, adding that the judiciary strikes down unconstitutional provisions in the laws, while the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) investigates people responsible for the alterations.
The alleged alteration of the gazetted tax acts, raised by a member of the House of Representatives, Abdulsamad Dasuki, had heightened doubts over the possibility of commencement of the implementation on January 1, 2026.
In addition to the former vice president, notable Nigerians and groups, including the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) had demanded the suspension of the implementation of the tax laws over alleged alteration to their copies gazetted by the Presidency.
The NBA expressed fears over the integrity and transparency of Nigeria’s lawmaking process over the alleged alterations.
“These developments strike at the very heart of constitutional governance and call into question the procedural sanctity that must attend lawmaking in a democratic society,” the group said.
Harrison Edeh is a journalist with the International Centre for Investigative Reporting, always determined to drive advocacy for good governance through holding public officials and businesses accountable.