Former Senate Leader, Ali Ndume, has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to suspend the implementation of the controversial Tax Reform Acts billed to take effect in January, following claims that the laws were altered after being passed by the National Assembly.
Ndume made the call in a statement issued on Wednesday in Abuja, amid rising protests and public debate over the integrity of the tax laws.
Opposition politicians, civil society groups and professional bodies, including the Nigerian Bar Association, have urged the Federal Government to halt the rollout of the laws until the allegations are fully addressed.
The senator, who represents Borno South Senatorial District, urged President Tinubu to set up an ad hoc committee to verify the authenticity of the tax laws and investigate claims that the content was changed after legislative approval.
Ndume warned that going ahead with the implementation without clearing the doubts could damage public trust and raise questions about the legitimacy of the laws.
“With the controversy surrounding it, the President should constitute a team to verify the veracity of the claim and act accordingly,” he said.
He added, “As a responsive leader that he has always been, he should look into it to find out whether the claim of alterations was genuine so that he will do the needful to bring the controversy to rest.”
Ndume cautioned that failure to resolve the issue could stall the entire reform effort.
“If not, the controversy will continue. That is to say, the tax law will not be implemented, because you can’t build on nothing,” he said.
“So, Mr President should suspend the implementation until the issues are resolved because so many civil society organisations, the Arewa Community and the Nigerian Bar Association are saying that he should withdraw the Tax Law and investigate the allegation of forgery.”
He stressed the need for a thorough probe, saying, “Therefore, Mr President should get to the root of the allegation of forgery. The small committee that will be set up should look into it while the House of Representatives does its own.”
The call follows concerns raised by NBA President, Afam Osigwe (SAN), who on Tuesday warned that the controversy could weaken Nigeria’s legislative process.
Osigwe said the allegations strike at the heart of constitutional governance and called for a transparent and open investigation to restore public confidence.
The dispute intensified last week when a member of the House of Representatives, Abdussamad Dasuki, alleged that the tax laws published by the Federal Government differed from the version passed by the National Assembly and sent to the President for assent.
