…emphasis was placed on postponing the implementation
The People's Democratic Party (PDP) has accused President Bola Tinubu of prioritizing expected financial gains over the welfare of Nigerians by insisting on the January 1, 2026 commencement date.
The party's National Publicity Secretary, Ini Ememobong, in a statement on Tuesday said the President's refusal to accept public pleas to suspend the commencement date of the Tax Act, based on discrepancies between the harmonized and gazetted versions of the new Tax Act, also exposes his love for greater revenue consideration over the sentiments of Nigerians.
This is coming after President Tinubu's statement on Tuesday, where he appealed to Nigerians to allow the removal of the laws scheduled for January 1, 2026.
The President also assured Nigerians that his administration is ready to collaborate with members of the National Assembly to resolve any discrepancy between the gazetted laws previously passed by him and the gazetted laws signed by him.
But the PDP in its statement said the interest of Nigerians must be uppermost in the minds of the President and the Federal Government, adding that “a mere suspicion, let alone a confirmed fact, that unapproved clauses have been smuggled into a law with the potential to affect all Nigerians is reason enough to suspend its commencement.”
It said Nigerians from all walks of life have vociferously expressed their displeasure over the trafficking of extremely dangerous provisions which were earlier removed by Parliament.
Also read: Tinubu pushing for tax reform on January 1
The party said the President is adamant despite demanding a thorough investigation into the anomaly and wants to know who made the illegal entry and how it was done.
“Instead of comprehensively addressing these issues, the presidency has deliberately minimized them and instead insisted that, despite the discrepancies, the start date should stand.”
According to the PDP, “This disposition clearly shows that the government’s priority is between Nigerians and money.
“This Tinubu Presidency since its inception in 2023 has always prioritized finance over the welfare and well-being of Nigerians, as evidenced by the reckless announcement and implementation of subsidy removal, which immediately impacted the country’s economy and caused irreparable economic loss to ordinary Nigerians,” he said.
Therefore, the party urged the President to “remember that he is an employee of the people and, therefore, he must listen to his employers.”
“He should also remember that in the election in which he got the job, he won with less than 40% of the votes, and so he should understand that it should be the primary duty of his administration to listen to Nigerians, rather than serving the narrow interests of those around him.
“Mr President is reminded that in 2012, a responsible PDP administration, out of respect for the voice of the Nigerian people, listened to the voices of Nigerians and civil society organizations (where they played prominent roles during the protests) against the removal of fuel subsidy.
“As a result, we reiterate our earlier call to suspend the commencement date of the Tax Act, pending the conclusion of a full investigation. Adherence to laws in a democracy is directly linked to the confidence that elected legislators have deliberated and approved them.
“The President must act on behalf of the people of this country; to do otherwise is a clear confirmation that money, not people, is the priority.”
