Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar on Tuesday called for the immediate suspension of Nigeria’s newly enacted tax legislation, accusing the government of making unauthorized changes to the law after it was passed by the National Assembly. His remarks ignited a wave of public debate, with many Nigerians expressing alarm over what they see as a deepening erosion of democratic norms. One social media user wrote that the allegations amounted to “a shocking breach of trust that Nigerians cannot ignore.”
In a statement posted on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, Mr. Abubakar said the executive branch had overstepped its authority by inserting provisions that lawmakers did not approve. Critics online echoed his concerns, with one commenter saying the situation “feels like the government is rewriting laws behind closed doors.”
“This draconian overreach by the executive branch undermines the foundational principle of legislative supremacy,” Mr. Abubakar said. “It reveals a government more interested in extracting wealth from struggling citizens than empowering them to prosper.” His comments drew support from citizens who argued that the new tax measures would worsen economic hardship. “People are barely surviving as it is,” one respondent wrote. “These policies will break families already on the edge.”
Mr. Abubakar pointed to several provisions he said were not part of the bill passed by lawmakers, including expanded arrest powers for tax authorities, the ability to seize property without a court order and authorization of enforcement sales without judicial oversight. Some Nigerians reacted with disbelief, calling the measures “an attempt to turn tax officials into police officers.”
He also criticized new financial requirements imposed on taxpayers, including a mandatory 20 percent security deposit before appealing tax assessments, the application of compound interest on tax debts and the use of U.S. dollar benchmarks for petroleum‑sector calculations. Business owners online described the changes as “a death sentence for small enterprises.”
Mr. Abubakar urged a broad institutional response, calling on the executive to suspend implementation of the law, the National Assembly to correct what he described as illegal alterations, the judiciary to strike down the disputed provisions and civil society groups to resist what he called an assault on democratic norms. His call resonated with activists, one of whom wrote, “If this stands, then the legislative process means nothing.”
“What the National Assembly did not pass cannot become law,” he said. “The Nigerian people deserve better than a government that circumvents democracy to impose hardship.” Supporters amplified the message, with one user adding, “This is not about politics. It’s about protecting the rule of law.”
The controversy began last week when Abdulsamad Dasuki, a member of the House of Representatives, said the version of the tax law circulated to the public differed from the one approved by lawmakers. His claims fueled public frustration, with some Nigerians calling the situation “a constitutional crisis in the making.”
The government has rejected the allegations. Mohammed Idris, the minister of information, said Monday that the version signed by President Bola Tinubu is the only authentic text and that the legislation followed the required process. Supporters of the administration defended the government online, arguing that the accusations were politically motivated. “This is just another attempt to discredit reforms,” one commenter wrote.
Taiwo Oyedele, chairman of the Presidential Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms Committee, also dismissed claims of secret alterations and warned that delaying implementation beyond January 1 could have economic consequences. His remarks drew mixed reactions, with some Nigerians urging caution and others insisting that “no reform is worth sacrificing constitutional integrity.”
