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Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has accused the Nigerian government of committing treason against Nigerians over what he described as the illegal alteration of the country’s tax reform law after it was passed by the National Assembly.
Atiku, in a statement on Tuesday, claimed that after the tax law was passed by lawmakers, “illegal and unauthorised alterations” were made to it. He called this “a brazen act of treason against the Nigerian people and a direct assault on our constitutional democracy.”
He said the alleged changes violate Sections 4 and 58 of the 1999 Constitution, which vest lawmaking powers exclusively in the National Assembly of Nigeria.
Atiku claimed that provisions not approved by lawmakers were inserted into the tax law, granting tax authorities sweeping enforcement powers, including arrest powers, property seizure and garnishment without court orders, and enforcement sales without judicial oversight.
He also claimed that “these provisions transform tax collectors into quasi-law enforcement agencies, stripping Nigerians of due process protections that the National Assembly deliberately included.”
“What the National Assembly did not pass cannot become law,” Atiku stated, adding that “this fundamental principle must be defended, or we risk descending into arbitrary rule where constitutional safeguards mean nothing.”
The former vice president also alleged that the changes increased financial pressure on individuals and businesses and cited provisions such as a mandatory 20% security deposit before taxpayers can appeal assessments, the application of compound interest on tax debts, expanded quarterly reporting requirements, and compulsory U.S. dollar-based computations for petroleum operations.
“These changes erect financial barriers that prevent ordinary Nigerians from challenging unjust assessments while increasing compliance costs for businesses already struggling in a difficult economy,” he added.
He also accused the government of removing accountability mechanisms from the law, including the deletion of quarterly and annual reporting obligations to the National Assembly, the elimination of strategic planning submission requirements and the removal of ministerial supervisory provisions
According to him, “by stripping away oversight mechanisms, the government has insulated itself from accountability while expanding its powers—a hallmark of authoritarian governance.”
“This constitutional violation exposes a troubling reality: a government obsessed with imposing ever-increasing tax burdens on impoverished Nigerians rather than creating conditions for prosperity,” Atiku noted.
“Instead of investing in infrastructure, education, healthcare, and economic empowerment that would expand the tax base organically, this administration chooses the path of aggressive extraction from an already struggling populace.”
He called on the executive branch to immediately suspend implementation of the tax law, which is scheduled to take effect on January 1, 2026, to allow for a proper investigation and urged the National Assembly to rectify the alleged alterations through lawful legislative processes and hold those responsible accountable.
Atiku also appealed to the judiciary to strike down what he described as unconstitutional provisions and asked civil society groups and citizens to resist what he called an erosion of democratic principles. He also called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to “immediately investigate and prosecute those found culpable in the illegal alteration of our laws to extort and defraud the Nigerian people.”
He added that “the Nigerian people deserve better than a government that circumvents democracy to impose hardship. We demand accountability, constitutional compliance, and economic policies that build prosperity rather than deepen poverty.”
