Mkpoikana Udoma
Port Harcourt — The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has accused President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of placing revenue considerations above the welfare of Nigerians by insisting on the commencement date of the new Tax Act despite alleged discrepancies between its harmonised and gazetted versions.
In a statement sighted by SweetCrude Reports, the opposition party reiterated its call for the suspension of the Act’s commencement date, warning that unresolved inconsistencies in the law pose serious credibility and legal concerns.
The statement was signed by the PDP National Publicity Secretary, Comrade Ini Ememobong, who insisted that failure to suspend the Tax Act’s commencement would confirm that “money, not the people, is the priority.”
“The Peoples Democratic Party reiterates its earlier call for the suspension of the commencement date of the Tax Act, based on the discrepancies between the harmonised and gazetted versions of the new Tax Act,” the party said.
The PDP noted that Nigerians from “all walks of life” have expressed strong objections to what it described as the smuggling of “very dangerous provisions” into the gazetted version of the law, provisions it said were earlier removed by the National Assembly.
According to the party, public concern has centred on identifying “who carried out the illegal insertion and how it was done,” stressing that these questions remain unanswered.
Rather than comprehensively addressing the controversy, the PDP accused the Presidency of downplaying the matter while insisting that the commencement date of the Tax Act must stand.
“This disposition clearly shows where the priority of the government lies, between Nigerians and money,” the statement declared.
The party further alleged that the Tinubu administration has consistently prioritised financial considerations over citizens’ welfare since assuming office in 2023, citing the removal of fuel subsidy as an example of what it described as a policy that caused “ordinary Nigerians to suffer irreparable economic damage.”
The PDP reminded President Tinubu that he is “an employee of the people” and urged him to listen to public concerns, noting that he emerged president with “less than 40 per cent of the votes.”
The party also drew parallels with the 2012 fuel subsidy protests, recalling that a previous PDP-led administration reversed its decision after public outcry, adding that Tinubu himself played “a prominent role during the protests.”
“Obedience to laws in a democracy is directly linked to the belief that elected legislators have deliberated upon and approved them,” the party said, arguing that even the suspicion of unauthorised provisions in a law affecting all Nigerians is sufficient reason to suspend its commencement.
