Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, has described the alleged alterations of recently gazetted tax laws as “treason against Nigerians,” warning that such actions undermine the nation’s constitutional democracy.
Speaking in a statement on Tuesday, Atiku said the discrepancies between the tax bills passed by the National Assembly and the version gazetted by the Presidency amounted to a “brazen act of treason against the Nigerian people.”
He accused the executive of overreach, noting that the changes bypassed legislative authority and compromised the foundational principle of lawmaking in the country.
The former vice president highlighted that the alterations imposed undue financial burdens and eroded citizens’ protections.
“New coercive powers were inserted without legislative consent, including arrest powers for tax authorities, property seizure and garnishment without court orders, and enforcement sales conducted without judicial oversight,” Atiku stated.
He further pointed out that the changes introduced mandatory 20 per cent security deposits before appealing tax assessments, compound interest on tax debts, quarterly reporting requirements with lowered thresholds, and forced USD computations for petroleum operations.
“These provisions raise compliance costs and prevent ordinary Nigerians from challenging unjust assessments,” he said.
Atiku also criticised the removal of accountability mechanisms, including the deletion of quarterly and annual reporting obligations to the National Assembly, elimination of strategic planning submission requirements, and removal of ministerial supervisory provisions.
According to him, such actions insulated the government from oversight while expanding its powers.
Describing the government as “obsessed with extracting wealth from struggling citizens,” Atiku warned that these measures deepen poverty, worsen unemployment, and stifle economic growth.
“A thriving economy with prosperous citizens naturally generates robust tax revenues. But this requires vision and investment, qualities evidently lacking in an administration that resorts to constitutional manipulation for short-term fiscal goals,” he said.
Atiku called on the executive to suspend the implementation of the tax law effective January 1, 2026, and urged the National Assembly and Judiciary to intervene to rectify the unconstitutional alterations.
He also called on civil society and all Nigerians to reject the assault on democratic principles and demanded that the EFCC investigate and prosecute those responsible.
“The National Assembly did not pass these changes; therefore, they cannot become law. This principle must be defended, or we risk descending into arbitrary governance where constitutional safeguards mean nothing,” Atiku said.
