ADC demands suspension of tax laws, alleges post-legislative changes show Tinubu’s “totalitarian tendencies”

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has demanded the immediate suspension of Nigeria’s newly introduced tax laws, alleging that key provisions were altered after approval by the National Assembly in what it described as a dangerous concentration of power by President Bola Tinubu.

In a statement issued on Saturday by its national publicity secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, the party said its review of the tax laws revealed discrepancies between the versions passed by lawmakers and those later gazetted. According to the ADC, accountability provisions contained in the original legislation were removed, while new clauses granting coercive powers to the executive were inserted without legislative approval.

The party claimed that some of the alleged insertions empower the government to arrest individuals and take over property for non-compliance with the tax laws without recourse to the courts. It warned that such changes undermine constitutional governance and the separation of powers.

The allegations followed recent concerns raised by Abdussamad Dasuki, a House of Representatives member from Sokoto State, who alerted lawmakers to discrepancies between the tax reform bills approved by the House and the versions eventually signed into law.

The ADC said it opposed any tax measures that would worsen the hardship faced by citizens and businesses but stressed that the issue extended beyond taxation. It argued that altering laws after passage by the legislature reflected disregard for democratic institutions and constitutional limits.

According to the party, changing legislation approved by 469 elected representatives amounts to an assault on constitutional governance and demonstrates what it described as totalitarian tendencies aimed at centralising power in the executive branch.

The ADC accused the executive of usurping legislative authority and maintained that any law not passed strictly in line with constitutional provisions could not stand. It called for the suspension of all 2025 tax laws signed by President Tinubu to allow for a full legislative review.

The party also demanded a thorough investigation into the alleged forgery and the prosecution of any government officials found culpable, warning that the matter strikes at the core of Nigeria’s demo fcratic system.