Alleged Forgery Of Tax Laws Threat To Nigeria’s Democracy – ADC
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has called for the immediate suspension of the tax laws signed by President Bola Tinubu and scheduled to take effect on January 1, 2026, citing alleged forgery of key provisions.
The opposition party said its demand followed findings that the final versions of the tax laws contained clauses that were not part of the bills passed by the National Assembly.
In a statement issued over the weekend by the party’s spokesperson, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the ADC accused the Tinubu administration of tampering with legislation after passage, describing the move as a threat to constitutional governance and democratic principles.
The party said alterations made to the laws allegedly removed accountability provisions while inserting new clauses granting sweeping enforcement powers to the Executive.
According to the ADC, such actions undermine the doctrine of separation of powers and amount to an attempt by the President to concentrate excessive authority in the Executive arm of government.
The party stressed that under the Constitution, only the legislature has the power to make laws, warning that any deviation from due process poses grave danger to democracy.
It therefore called on the National Assembly to immediately suspend the implementation of the tax laws and conduct a full legislative review to determine the extent of the alleged alterations.
The ADC also demanded a public inquiry and the prosecution of any government officials found culpable in what it described as criminal forgery of duly passed legislation.
“The African Democratic Congress has reviewed reports confirming that the tax laws passed by the National Assembly and signed by President Bola Tinubu contain substantial forgeries of provisions not approved by lawmakers,” the statement said.
“Our forensic review of the original bills and the gazetted versions shows that accountability clauses were deleted and coercive powers inserted, including provisions allowing the government to arrest individuals and take over property without court orders,” it added.
“This goes beyond taxation. It reflects a government with no regard for democratic institutions and willing to violate constitutional boundaries to pursue its narrow agenda,” the party stated.
“The ADC therefore calls for the immediate suspension of all the 2025 tax laws and the prosecution of any official involved in this act, which strikes at the heart of Nigeria’s democracy,” the statement concluded.
Sodiq Yusuf is a trained media practitioner and journalist with considerable years of experience in print, broadcast, and digital journalism. His interests cover a wide range of causes in politics, governance, sports, community development, and good governance.
