Atiku Slams Alleged Unconstitutional Changes to Tax Bills, Demands Judicial Intervention, Five Other Actions
The 2023 presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, has criticised the alleged unconstitutional changes to Nigeria’s tax bills, calling for the suspension and judicial intervention to nullify them.
Atiku asserted that the illegal and unauthorised alterations made to the tax legislation after passage by the National Assembly represent a brazen act of treason against the Nigerian people and a direct assault on the country’s constitutional democracy.
“This draconian overreach by the executive branch undermines the foundational principle of legislative supremacy in the making of laws. It reveals a government more interested in extracting wealth from struggling citizens than empowering them to prosper,” he stated.
Atiku highlighted the substantive changes that were allegedly inserted into the tax bills after parliamentary approval, noting that they are in clear violation of Sections 4 and 58 of the 1999 Constitution.
New Coercive Powers Without Legislative Consent
– Arrest powers granted to tax authorities.
– Property seizure and garnishment without court orders.
– Enforcement sales conducted without judicial oversight.
He argued that these provisions transform tax collectors into quasi-law enforcement agencies, stripping Nigerians of due process protections that the National Assembly deliberately included.
Increased Financial Burdens on Citizens
– Mandatory 20% security deposit before appealing tax assessments.
– Compound interest on tax debts.
– Quarterly reporting requirements with lowered thresholds.
– Forced USD computation for petroleum operations.
These changes, he said, erect financial barriers that prevent ordinary Nigerians from challenging unjust assessments while increasing compliance costs for businesses already struggling in a difficult economy.
Removal of Accountability Mechanisms
– Deletion of quarterly and annual reporting obligations to the National Assembly.
– Elimination of strategic planning submission requirements.
– Removal of ministerial supervisory provisions.
Atiku stressed that by stripping away oversight mechanisms, the government has insulated itself from accountability while expanding its powers, describing it as a hallmark of authoritarian governance.
He also mentioned that the constitutional violation exposes a troubling reality — a government obsessed with imposing ever-increasing tax burdens on impoverished Nigerians rather than creating conditions for prosperity.
The former Vice President decried that instead of investing in infrastructure, education, healthcare, and economic empowerment that would expand the tax base organically, President Bola Tinubu’s administration chooses the path of aggressive extraction from an already struggling populace.
He continued: “Nigeria’s poverty rate remains alarmingly high, unemployment continues to devastate families, and inflation erodes purchasing power daily. Yet rather than supporting citizens to become more productive, thereby generating sustainable tax revenues, the government employs draconian measures to squeeze resources from people who have little left to survive.
“True economic growth comes from empowering citizens, not impoverishing them further through punitive taxation and erosion of legal protections. A thriving economy with prosperous citizens naturally generates robust tax revenues. But this requires vision, investment, and patience, qualities evidently lacking in an administration that resorts to constitutional manipulation to achieve short-term fiscal goals.”
Atiku called on the Executive to immediately suspend the implementation of the tax law effective January 1, 2026 to give room for a proper investigation. He equally urged the National Assembly to immediately rectify the illegal alterations through proper legislative processes and hold accountable those responsible for the constitutional breach.
Similarly, he called on the Judiciary to strike down the unconstitutional provisions and reaffirm the sanctity of the legislative process. He also urged the Civil Society Organisations and all Nigerians to reject the assault on democratic principles and demand governance that serves the people rather than exploiting them.
While asking the Federal Government to abandon this path of extraction and oppression, and instead focus on policies that enable Nigerian citizens and businesses to thrive, Atiku enjoined the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to immediately investigate and prosecute those found culpable in the illegal alteration of Nigeria’s laws to extort and defraud the Nigerian people.
“What the National Assembly did not pass cannot become law,” he explained, emphasising that this fundamental principle must be defended, or Nigerians risk descending into arbitrary rule where constitutional safeguards mean nothing.
He further disclosed that the Nigerian people deserve better than a government that circumvents democracy to impose hardship, calling for accountability, constitutional compliance, and economic policies that build prosperity rather than deepen poverty.
