The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has called for independent investigation into the allegation of insertions and substitutions of wrong gazetted copy of tax law passed by the National Assembly.
PDP in a statement by the National Publicity Secretary, Ini Emembong warned the leadership of the House of Representatives to sweep the allegation under the carpet.
“This criminal act of inserting unenacted sections in laws can erode public trust in the enactments of parliament.
“Nigerians need assurance that the laws they obey are valid laws enacted by their elected representatives, not laws with insertions that are strange to the lawmakers,” the party stated.
PDP however commended a member of the House of Representatives, Hon. Abdussamad Dasuki, for drawing public attention to the disparity between the version of the Tax Act enacted by the parliament and the gazetted copy.
The party demand that the commencement date of the Tax Act earlier scheduled to begin from January 1, 2026 should be shifted, “for at least six months to allow sufficient time for the investigation of this anomaly, publication and circulation of the enacted version, and more importantly, the mounting of sufficient enlightenment campaigns on the new Act.”
The opposition party regretted that Nigeria under the All Progressives Congress (APC) had progressively declined to the point where the nation’s Air Force aircraft and personnel were detained for many days in Burkina Faso, until a team led by the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Amb. Yusuf Tuggar visited the country to negotiate their release.
PDP noted that the United States of America has implemented a new regime of stronger visa restrictions on Nigerians.
“These restrictions, which affect both immigrant and non-immigrant visas, are based on the rising insecurity in the entire country and the inability of the government to effectively counter the situation, especially in Northern Nigeria.
“This is the lowest that we have gone as a country due to poor leadership, even during military rule, such harsh treatment was not meted on Nigeria and Nigerians,” it added.
PDP said the current leadership in the country paid more attention to politics than governance.
According to the party, rather than comprehensively tackle core security issues, “the administration prefers to apply simplistic and tangential solutions and politicise security matters, like the recent uproar about the absurd attempt at promoting the President’s Aide-De-Camp and other presidential security aides.
“Under this administration, it is an undeniable fact that Nigeria’s military capacity has consistently reduced, as shown in the global firepower report 2024, where Nigeria dropped to 39th from its earlier 36th position in 2023.”
The opposition noted that while other presidents of member countries of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) at 68th ordinary session of Heads of States and Government meeting came to Abuja to discuss insecurity and political instability affecting member states “the host, President Tinubu, was represented by Vice President Shettima.
“While the president is at liberty to send a representative, if he is indisposed, subsequent attendance at a political event the next day creates a perception of less premium paid to regional stability, which is in opposition to our foreign policy.
“Acts like this may contribute to the scant regard our country has earned under his administration, in the eyes of other countries, who respected and revered us previously.”