The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has called on the Federal Government to suspend the implementation of the 2025 tax laws, citing what it described as the alleged “forgery” of certain provisions.
In a statement issued on Saturday, the party’s spokesman, Mr. Bolaji Abdullahi, accused the government of altering key sections of the tax laws passed by the National Assembly. He alleged that the gazetted versions contain what he termed “criminal insertions” that grant the Bola Tinubu administration sweeping powers to arrest individuals and take over property for non-compliance with the tax laws.
“The ADC therefore calls for the immediate suspension of all the 2025 tax laws signed by President Bola Tinubu to allow for a full legislative review,” Abdullahi said. “This is the only reasonable course of action if we must avoid creating the dangerous impression that the constitutional principle of separation of powers can be sidestepped by the President.”
According to the ADC, its demand followed a “forensic” comparison of the tax laws passed by the National Assembly and the gazetted versions, which it claimed revealed that key accountability provisions were removed while new clauses were inserted. The party alleged that the changes confer coercive enforcement powers on the Executive without adequate judicial oversight.
The party argued that the alleged insertions go beyond taxation and reflect what it described as a disregard for democratic institutions and constitutional governance.
“We also call for a full investigation and the immediate prosecution of any government official found culpable in the execution of this alleged act of forgery, which strikes at the very heart of our democracy,” the statement, attributed to the party led by former Senate President David Mark, read in part.
President Bola Tinubu signed four tax reform bills into law in June, following months of intense debate and legislative scrutiny. The laws include the Nigeria Tax Bill, the Nigeria Tax Administration Bill, the Nigeria Revenue Service (Establishment) Bill, and the Joint Revenue Board (Establishment) Bill.
The Federal Government has fixed January 2026 for the implementation of the new tax regime. However, concerns intensified after a member of the House of Representatives, Abdussamad Dasuki, raised the alarm over alleged discrepancies between the versions passed by lawmakers and those gazetted.
Subsequently, opposition figures, including former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi and some lawmakers, have urged the Federal Government to suspend the implementation of the laws pending clarification.
In response, the Chairman of the Presidential Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms Committee, Mr. Taiwo Oyedele, has maintained that the Federal Government is not introducing new tax laws but restructuring existing ones.
