Atiku Accuses Presidency of Treason Over Alleged Forged Tax Law

Eshioromeh Sebastian in Abuja

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has accused the Presidency of committing “an act of treason against the Nigerian people,” alleging that the recently enacted tax reform legislation was illegally altered after its passage by the National Assembly.

In a statement published on his social media account on Tuesday, Atiku asserted that the “illegal and unauthorised alterations made to Nigeria’s tax legislation after passage by the National Assembly represents a brazen act of treason against the Nigerian people and a direct assault on our constitutional democracy.”

He contended that the action “undermines the foundational principle of legislative supremacy in the making of laws” and “reveals a government more interested in extracting wealth from struggling citizens than empowering them to prosper.”

Atiku detailed specific changes he claims were inserted without legislative consent, in violation of Sections 4 and 58 of the 1999 Constitution. These include granting arrest and property seizure powers to tax authorities “without court orders,” imposing a “mandatory 20% security deposit before appealing tax assessments,” and the “deletion of quarterly and annual reporting obligations to the National Assembly.”

“These provisions transform tax collectors into quasi-law enforcement agencies, stripping Nigerians of due process protections,” he stated.

Describing the alleged forgery as part of failure on the part of the government, Atiku argued that “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.”

He criticised the administration for choosing “the path of aggressive extraction from an already struggling populace” instead of investment in infrastructure and empowerment.

“True economic growth comes from empowering citizens, not impoverishing them further through punitive taxation and erosion of legal protections,” Atiku said.

Consequently, he issued a direct call for action, demanding that the Executive “immediately suspend the implementation of the tax law effective January 1, 2026 to give room for a proper investigation.”

The former vice president urged the National Assembly to “rectify these illegal alterations through proper legislative processes and hold accountable those responsible for this constitutional breach,” and called on the Judiciary to “strike down these unconstitutional provisions and reaffirm the sanctity of the legislative process.”

Furthermore, Atiku called on civil society and Nigerians to “reject this assault on democratic principles and demand governance that serves the people rather than exploiting them.” He also tasked 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.”

Concluding his statement, Atiku emphasised a core democratic principle, stating, “What the National Assembly did not pass cannot become law. This fundamental principle must be defended, or we risk descending into arbitrary rule where constitutional safeguards mean nothing.” He declared that “the Nigerian people deserve better than a government that circumvents democracy to impose hardship,” and demanded “accountability, constitutional compliance, and economic policies that build prosperity rather than deepen poverty.”