With the controversy surrounding it, the President should constitute a team to verify the veracity of the claim and act accordingly.
By Deborah Hassan
365Daily – Former Senate Leader, Senator Ali Ndume, has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to suspend the planned January implementation of the Tax Reform Acts amid allegations that the laws may have been altered after passage by the National Assembly.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, Ndume said the President should immediately step in to resolve the controversy, warning that pushing ahead without clarification could undermine the credibility of the reforms.
The call comes as opposition politicians and civil society organisations intensify demands for a halt to the implementation. The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) is among groups raising concerns about the integrity of the legislative process that produced the tax laws.
NBA President, Mazi Afam Osigwe (SAN), said in a statement on Tuesday that the unresolved issues threaten transparency and constitutional governance. He stressed that public confidence would remain eroded unless an open investigation is conducted.
“The Nigerian Bar Association considers it imperative that a comprehensive, open, and transparent investigation be conducted to clarify the circumstances surrounding the enactment of the laws,” Osigwe said, adding that implementation should be suspended until the process is concluded.
The controversy was triggered last week in the House of Representatives when Abdussamad Dasuki alleged that the version of the tax laws gazetted by the Federal Government differs from the copy passed by lawmakers and forwarded to the President for assent.
Reacting, Ndume urged President Tinubu to constitute an ad hoc committee to verify the allegations, including claims of forgery. He said proceeding without addressing the matter would create a legitimacy crisis for the tax reforms.
“With the controversy surrounding it, the President should constitute a team to verify the veracity of the claim and act accordingly,” Ndume said. “If the copy that was signed was altered, the President should do the needful to bring the controversy to rest.”
The senator warned that failure to resolve the issue could stall implementation entirely. “The tax law will not be implemented if the controversy continues because you can’t build on nothing,” he added.
Ndume noted that calls for suspension have also come from civil society groups and northern stakeholders, including the Arewa community, stressing that the President should pause implementation while both the executive and the House of Representatives conduct separate reviews.
He said only a transparent resolution would safeguard the credibility of the tax reform agenda and ensure public trust in the process.