Ali Ndume, former Senate Leader and senator representing Borno South, has raised concerns over alleged discrepancies in the tax reform laws recently signed by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, accusing the federal government of treating Nigerians with levity.
Ndume’s comments follow earlier allegations by Abdussamad Dasuki, a member of the House of Representatives, who claimed that there were inconsistencies between the tax reform bills passed by the National Assembly and the versions later released to the public.
Speaking amid ongoing controversies surrounding the legislation, Ndume said Taiwo Oyedele, chairman of the Presidential Committee on Tax Reforms, had acknowledged the existence of “differentials” in the law. According to him, Oyedele admitted that there were at least two versions of the tax reform law and that any corrective action would have to be undertaken by the National Assembly.
“Even the chairman of the presidential committee on tax reform, Taiwo Oyedele, admitted that there are differentials, two versions, or at least two versions of the tax law, and that if something has to be done, it has to be the National Assembly,” Ndume said.
Reacting to claims by Senate President Godswill Akpabio that there were no discrepancies in the tax laws, Ndume dismissed the position as a personal opinion. He insisted that his own findings, as well as the concerns raised by members of the House of Representatives, had not been denied.
“That is his opinion, and as for me, I did a lot of research on it, and the House of Reps member raised that matter, and they didn’t deny it,” he said.
Ndume further disclosed that the House of Representatives is still investigating the matter, stressing that his primary concern is the lack of transparency in governance. He warned against decisions being taken behind closed doors, describing Nigeria as a democracy that must be accountable to its citizens.
“My problem is not whether there are discrepancies or not; I am worried about doing things behind closed doors. This is government of the people, for the people, and by the people,” he stated.
The Borno South senator called on the leadership of the National Assembly to address the issue openly, adding that lawmakers should be free to express dissenting views without being labelled as rebels.
“I called on the leadership to say, ‘look, there is a problem here, because what we passed is not what the president signed’,” he said.
Ndume warned that the alleged discrepancies should not be ignored, noting that laws enacted under disputed circumstances could be challenged in court. He argued that contradictions surrounding the tax reforms could undermine their credibility and effectiveness.
“This is not something they can just bury, because the way they are going about it is full of contradiction and controversy,” he said.
He also dismissed claims that the tax reforms were already being implemented, insisting that implementation would be impossible while multiple versions of the law remained in circulation.
“As I told you, there are different versions out there, so which one do they implement?” Ndume asked.
Accusing the government of personalising national issues, Ndume warned that failure to resolve the matter could have serious consequences.
“The president is president of Nigeria; he is a servant of the people, Nigerians are not servants of the president, and this thing is going to fall on them if they don’t fix it,” he said.
