Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has called for the immediate suspension of the tax law implementation scheduled to January 1, 2026.
He said the law should be suspended to give room for a proper investigation over the alleged discrepancies between the law passed by the National Assembly and the gazetted law.
The former Vice President called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to immediately investigate and prosecute those found culpable in the illegal alteration of our laws to extort and defraud the Nigerian people.
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Atiku, in a statement, said the alleged illegal and unauthorised alterations made to Nigeria's tax legislation after passage by the National Assembly represents a brazen act of treason against the Nigerian people and a direct assault on our constitutional democracy.
He said "The Executive to immediately suspend the implementation of the tax law effective January 1, 2026 to give room for a proper investigation.
"The National Assembly to immediately rectify these illegal alterations through proper legislative processes and hold accountable those responsible for this constitutional breach.
"The Judiciary to strike down these unconstitutional provisions and reaffirm the sanctity of the legislative process.
"Civil Society and all Nigerians to reject this assault on democratic principles and demand governance that serves the people rather than exploiting them.
"The Government to abandon this path of extraction and oppression, and instead focus on policies that enable Nigerian citizens and businesses to thrive," he said.
He further described the act as a draconian overreach by the executive branch which undermines the foundational principle of legislative supremacy in the making of laws.
He said it reveals a government more interested in extracting wealth from struggling citizens than empowering them to prosper.
He listed the alleged illegally inserted items in the tax bills to include, New Coercive Powers Without Legislative Consent; Increased Financial Burdens on Citizens; Removal of Accountability Mechanisms.
He added that the alleged constitutional violation exposes a government obsessed with imposing ever-increasing tax burdens on impoverished Nigerians rather than creating conditions for prosperity.
"Instead of investing in infrastructure, education, healthcare, and economic empowerment that would expand the tax base organically, this administration chooses the path of aggressive extraction from an already struggling populace.
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"Nigeria's poverty rate remains alarmingly high, unemployment continues to devastate families, and inflation erodes purchasing power daily. Yet rather than supporting citizens to become more productive, thereby generating sustainable tax revenues, the government employs draconian measures to squeeze resources from people who have little left to survive.
"True economic growth comes from empowering citizens, not impoverishing them further through punitive taxation and erosion of legal protections. A thriving economy with prosperous citizens naturally generates robust tax revenues. But this requires vision, investment, and patience, qualities evidently lacking in an administration that resorts to constitutional manipulation to achieve short-term fiscal goals," he said.
