In light of the mounting controversy surrounding the approval of the contested Tax Reform Acts, former Senate Leader Ali Ndume has urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to halt its implementation, which is set to begin in January. Ndume requested a statement released in Abuja on Wednesday in response to accusations and denials regarding purported changes to the tax legislation following their approval by the National Assembly.
The petition coincides with demonstrations by civil society organizations and opposition politicians, such as the Nigerian Bar Association, who have called on the Federal Government to stop enforcing the laws. In response, Ndume, the senatorial district representative for Borno South, asked Tinubu to form an ad hoc committee to look into the purported changes and confirm the legitimacy of the laws.
The former Senate Chief Whip cautioned that putting the laws into effect without addressing the accusations would jeopardize their legitimacy and erode public confidence. "Given the controversy surrounding it, the President should assemble a team to confirm the accuracy of the claim and take appropriate action," he stated.
Since he has always been a responsive leader, he ought to investigate whether the allegation of changes was true so that he may take the appropriate action to resolve the dispute. If not, the debate will go on. In other words, since you cannot build on nothing, the tax law will not be put into effect.
The Nigerian Bar Association, the Arewa Community, and several civil society organizations are urging Mr. President to revoke the Tax Law and look into the forgery allegations, so he should halt its implementation until the problems are fixed.
As a result, Mr. President ought to address the core of the forgery accusation. The House of Representatives should conduct its own investigation while the little committee that will be established looks into it.
Afam Osigwe (SAN), the president of the NBA, issued a warning on Tuesday that the integrity and legitimacy of Nigeria's legislative process are at risk due to the tax bill disputes. In order to rebuild public trust, Osigwe demanded an open and transparent probe, claiming that the problems go to the heart of constitutional governance.
The dispute was exacerbated last week when Abdussamad Dasuki, a member of the House of Representatives, claimed that the final version of the tax regulations passed by the National Assembly and delivered to the President for assent differed from the version gazetted by the Federal Government.
