Amid the controversy surrounding the new Tax law, the Senator representing Borno South Senatorial District, Ali Ndume, has urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to jettison the January 2026 implementation date.
This is as the lawmaker called on the Federal Government to take proactive steps to settle the new Tax law before its implementation.
New Telegraph recalls that the controversy began after a member of the House of Representatives raised the alarm that the version of the tax law passed by the National Assembly is not the one gazetted by President Bola Tinubu.
The development prompted the House to set up a committee to investigate the allegation against the background of the proposed January 1st implementation date.
Speaking on Wednesday in Abuja, Senator Ndume urged the President to suspend the January implementation date to allow for a thorough investigation into claims and counterclaims over alleged alterations to the tax laws.
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Ndume’s plea is coming amidst calls by politicians, Civil Society Organisations, and the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) for the suspension of the Act.
Specifically, the NBA President, Mazi Afam Osigwe (SAN), cautioned that the controversies threaten the integrity, transparency, and credibility of Nigeria’s legislative process, calling for a comprehensive investigation.
In his appeal, Ndume urged President Tinubu to constitute an ad-hoc team to investigate the allegations, saying proceeding with implementation without resolving the issue would create legitimacy challenges for the tax laws.
He said, “As a responsive leader that he has always been, he should look at it to find out if the copy that was signed, whether the claim of alterations was genuine, so that he will do the needful to bring the controversy to rest.
“If not, the controversy will continue. “That is to say, the tax law will not be implemented, because you can’t build on nothing.
“So, Mr President should suspend the implementation until the issues are resolved because so many civil society organisations, the Arewa Community, the Nigerian Bar Association, are saying that he should withdraw the Tax Law and investigate the allegation of forgery.
“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.”
