ADC Calls for Suspension of Tax Laws Over Alleged Modifications

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has called for the immediate suspension of Nigeria’s newly introduced tax laws, alleging that key provisions were altered after the bills were approved by the National Assembly and assented to by President Bola Tinubu—a development the party described as a serious constitutional violation.

In a statement issued on Saturday by its National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, the ADC warned that any post-approval modification of legislation undermines the authority of the legislature and raises concerns about an alleged attempt by the President to centralise power.

The party’s reaction followed a point of privilege raised on December 17 by Hon. Abdussamad Dasuki (PDP, Sokoto) on the floor of the House of Representatives, where he highlighted discrepancies between the harmonised versions of the tax bills passed by lawmakers and the versions subsequently released to the public.

Citing these concerns, the ADC demanded an immediate suspension of the implementation of the tax laws to allow the National Assembly to investigate the alleged alterations and take corrective action where necessary.

According to the statement, the party’s review of reports and documents confirmed that the tax laws signed into effect differ substantially from those approved by the legislature. The ADC further claimed that a forensic comparison between the original bills and the gazetted versions revealed the removal of key accountability provisions and the insertion of new clauses granting expanded enforcement powers to the Executive without judicial oversight.

The party alleged that some of the inserted provisions empower the government to arrest individuals and take over property for non-compliance with the tax laws.

While reiterating its opposition to tax policies that could worsen the economic hardship faced by citizens and businesses, the ADC stressed that its concern extends beyond taxation. The party said the matter reflects what it described as a troubling disregard for democratic institutions and constitutional limits.

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.”