NBA, Atiku urge FG to halt tax reform laws amid allegations of post-passage alterations

The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar have called on the Federal Government to immediately suspend the implementation of the newly enacted Tax Reform Acts following allegations that the laws were altered after being passed by the National Assembly.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, NBA President, Mazi Afam Osigwe (SAN), warned that the controversy surrounding the tax laws poses a serious threat to the credibility of Nigeria’s legislative process and raises profound constitutional questions.

He stressed that public confidence in lawmaking must be safeguarded through transparency and accountability.

Osigwe called for a comprehensive and open investigation into the circumstances surrounding the enactment of the laws, insisting that implementation should not proceed until all issues are thoroughly examined and resolved.

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“The Nigerian Bar Association considers it imperative that a comprehensive, open, and transparent investigation be conducted to clarify the circumstances surrounding the enactment of the laws and to restore public confidence in the legislative process. Until these issues are fully examined and resolved, all plans for the implementation of the Tax Reform Acts should be immediately suspended,” he said.

The NBA further cautioned that the uncertainty generated by the dispute could deter investors, disrupt business operations, and create widespread confusion among individuals and institutions expected to comply with the new tax regime.

Echoing similar concerns, Atiku Abubakar criticised the alleged alterations, describing them as a “grave assault on legislative supremacy.”

He accused the executive arm of government of unilaterally inserting provisions that impose harsher enforcement measures and heavier financial obligations without the approval of lawmakers.