…Says tax authorities can’t be quasi-enforcement agencies

FORMER Vice President, Mr Atiku Abubakar, says alterations to the new tax laws passed by the National Assembly is an act of treason against the Nigerian people.

Atiku, a chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), described the alleged ‘unauthorised alterations’ as ‘a direct assault on our constitutional democracy.’

He said this on his X handle on Tuesday, stressing that the draconian overreach by the executive undermined the principle of legislative supremacy in lawmaking and revealed a government more interested in extracting wealth from struggling citizens than empowering them to prosper.

According to him, the alleged insertions violated Sections 4 and 58 of the 1999 Constitution and included new coercive powers without legislative approval, arrest powers granted to tax authorities, property seizure and garnishment without court orders, and enforcement sales without judicial oversight.

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Atiku argued that these provisions had effectively turned tax authorities into quasi-law enforcement agencies and stripped citizens of due-process protections deliberately built into the original bills.

He further claimed the laws were altered to introduce a mandatory 20 percent security deposit before tax appeals, compound interest on tax debts, expanded quarterly reporting at lower thresholds, and forced dollar computation for petroleum operations. These, he said, would create financial barriers that prevent citizens and businesses from challenging unfair assessments.

“These changes erect financial barriers that prevent ordinary Nigerians from challenging unjust assessments while increasing compliance costs for businesses already struggling in a difficult economy,” he submitted.

Atiku also accused the government of weakening accountability by removing reporting obligations to the National Assembly, scrapping strategic-planning submissions, and eliminating ministerial supervisory roles—moves he said insulated the government from oversight while expanding its powers.

“These constitutional violations expose a troubling reality: a government obsessed with imposing ever-increasing tax burdens on impoverished Nigerians rather than creating conditions for prosperity,” he said.

He called on the executive to suspend implementation of the tax laws from January 1, 2026, pending investigation. He urged the National Assembly to reverse the alleged illegal changes and hold those responsible to account, while calling on the judiciary to strike down the ‘unconstitutional’ provisions.

Civil society and Nigerians, he added, must resist any assault on democratic principles and demand people-centered governance.

He also urged the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to investigate and prosecute anyone found culpable.

“What the National Assembly did not pass cannot become law,” Atiku said. “This fundamental principle must be defended, or we risk descending into arbitrary rule where constitutional safeguards mean nothing.”

Context

Last Wednesday, a member of the House of Representatives, Mr Abdussamad Dasuki, alleged that there were discrepancies between the tax reform law passed by the National Assembly and the gazetted copy available to the public.

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Dasuki, who represents Kebbe/Tambuwal federal constituency of Sokoto, raised a point of privilege on the floor of the lower legislative chamber during Wednesday’s plenary.

“What was passed on the floor is not what is gazetted. Mr speaker, honourable colleagues, I was here, I gave my vote, and it was counted, and I am seeing something completely different,” he said.

The lawmaker said he obtained copies of the gazetted law from the Ministry of Information and found that they were different from the copies harmonised and approved by the House, while calling on Speaker, Mr Tajudeen Abbas, to critically examine what was passed by the legislators and what was gazetted by the government.

“This is a breach of the constitution and a breach of our laws, and it should not be taken lightly by this honourable house,” he said, warning that the discrepancy was a constitutional breach and urged the House to treat the matter with urgency.