Former Senate Leader of Nigeria, Ali Ndume, has urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Nigeria’s President and Head of the Federal Government, to suspend the implementation of recently passed Tax Reform Acts following allegations that the laws were altered after approval by the National Assembly of Nigeria.
Ndume, who currently represents Borno South Senatorial District in Nigeria’s upper legislative chamber, made the call in a statement issued on Wednesday, December 24, 2025, in Abuja, Nigeria’s federal capital city.
Okay News reports that the lawmaker’s appeal comes amid growing public controversy, with opposition politicians, legal experts, and civil society organisations questioning the authenticity of the versions of the tax laws scheduled to take effect in January 2026.
According to Ndume, conflicting claims over whether the final gazetted version of the laws reflects what was actually passed by the National Assembly pose a serious threat to public trust and constitutional governance.
“With the controversy surrounding it, the President should constitute a team to verify the veracity of the claim and act accordingly,” Ndume said.
He further warned that proceeding with the implementation of the laws without resolving the allegations would undermine their legitimacy and weaken confidence in Nigeria’s legislative process.
“As a responsive leader that he has always been, he should look into it to find out whether the claim of alterations was genuine so that he will do the needful to bring the controversy to rest,” he added.
Ndume argued that failure to address the allegations could stall the enforcement of the tax laws entirely.
“If not, the controversy will continue. That is to say, the tax law will not be implemented, because you can’t build on nothing. So, Mr President should suspend the implementation until the issues are resolved because so many civil society organisations, the Arewa Community, the Nigerian Bar Association, are saying that he should withdraw the Tax Law and investigate the allegation of forgery,” he said.
The former Senate Chief Whip further called on the President to establish a small ad hoc committee to investigate the alleged forgery, while noting that the House of Representatives of Nigeria could also conduct its own independent inquiry.
“Therefore, Mr President should get to the root of the allegation of forgery. The small committee that will be set up should look into it while the House of Representatives does its own,” Ndume stated.
The controversy gained momentum after the President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Afam Osigwe, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, warned that the dispute threatens the credibility of Nigeria’s legislative system and constitutional order.
Osigwe had called for a transparent investigation to restore public confidence in the lawmaking process.
The debate intensified further after a member of the House of Representatives, Abdussamad Dasuki, alleged that the tax laws gazetted by the Federal Government differed from the final version passed by the National Assembly and transmitted to the President for assent.
