…faults Tinubu absence at the ECOWAS meeting

Amid the worsening insecurity and unending economic hardships, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) on Thursday called for a comprehensive investigation into what it described as an alleged fraudulent alteration of Nigeria’s tax laws.

This is as the party warned that the development poses a grave threat to legislative integrity and democratic governance in Nigeria.

Speaking in a statement titled “APC/Tinubu Administration: The Normalisation of Absurdity,” the PDP expressed deep concern over reported discrepancies between the version of the Tax Act passed by the National Assembly and the copy subsequently gazetted.

Signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Comrade Ini Ememobong, the party noted that the issue raised by a member of the House of Representatives, Hon. Abdussamad Dasuki, questions how “Insertions and substitutions” allegedly found their way into the gazetted law without parliamentary approval.

According to the party, such an act, if proven, would amount to a criminal subversion of the legislative process and could severely erode public confidence in laws enacted by elected representatives.

It warned the leadership of the House of Representatives against treating the matter with levity or attempting to “Sweep it under the carpet,” as it alleged had happened with reports that the country was operating multiple budgets within a single fiscal year.

The laws Nigerians obey must be the exact laws enacted by their representatives, not documents bearing strange provisions unknown to lawmakers,” the party stated, while commending Hon. Dasuki for what it described as his diligence and courage in the discharge of his legislative duties.

The PDP consequently demanded that the commencement date of the new Tax Act, scheduled for January 1, 2026, be shifted by at least six months to allow for a full investigation of the alleged anomaly, the publication and wide circulation of the authentic enacted version, and extensive public enlightenment on the provisions of the law.

Beyond the tax controversy, the PDP criticised what it described as Nigeria’s declining regional and global standing under the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led Federal Government.

It cited recent diplomatic embarrassments, including the detention of Nigerian Air Force personnel in Burkina Faso and stricter U.S. visa restrictions on Nigerians, which it linked to rising insecurity and poor governance.

The party also faulted President Bola Tinubu’s absence at the 68th Ordinary Meeting of ECOWAS Heads of State and Government held in Abuja, despite Nigeria being the host nation, arguing that such actions project a lack of seriousness about regional leadership and stability.