Human rights activist and lawyer, Deji Adeyanju, has condemned reports suggesting that the versions of the Tax Reform Bills signed into law by President Bola Tinubu differed from the one passed by the National Assembly, describing the development as “the greatest mockery of Nigeria’s democracy since 1999.”
In a statement issued on Thursday, Adeyanju said any post-passage alteration of a bill constitutes “legislative fraud” and an “affront to the sovereignty of the Nigerian people.”
“There are disturbing reports that the tax reform bill assented to by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is materially different from the version duly passed by the National Assembly,” Adeyanju said.
“If this allegation is true, it represents the greatest mockery of Nigeria’s democracy since 1999.”
The activist argued that in every constitutional democracy, the President is bound to sign only the version of a bill approved by the legislature, warning that any deviation undermines the core principles of democratic governance.
“In a sane constitutional democracy, the President can only assent to the exact bill passed by the legislature. Any post-passage alteration, whether by omission, addition, or substitution, amounts to legislative fraud and an affront to the sovereignty of the Nigerian people,” he declared.
Adeyanju called on the Tinubu administration to “come clean” by publishing the authenticated version of the bill passed by the National Assembly to clear the air on the allegations.
“The Tinubu administration must immediately come clean with an explanation and publish the authenticated version of the bill passed by the National Assembly. Anything short of this shows that the Tinubu Administration is a criminal enterprise masquerading as a government,” he added.
Recall that the member representing Kebbe/Tambuwal Federal Constituency of Sokoto State in the House of Representatives, Hon. Abdulsammad Dasuki, on Wednesday, raised a point of order bothering on privilege, alleging that the gazetted versions of the recently passed tax reform laws differed significantly from what was approved by the National Assembly.
