Human rights lawyer and activist, Deji Adeyanju, has described the alleged tampering with the Tax Reform Bill as a serious assault on Nigeria’s democratic process.
Adeyanju was responding to claims that the version of the
tax reform legislation signed into law by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu does not
align with the bill approved by the National Assembly.
In his reaction, the activist warned that failure by the
Tinubu-led government to clarify the controversy would paint the administration
as an illegitimate outfit operating under the guise of governance.
According to a statement issued by Adeyanju, reports
suggesting that the assented bill differs substantially from the one passed by
lawmakers are deeply troubling.
“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.
“If this allegation is true, it represents the greatest
mockery of Nigeria’s democracy since 1999,” he said.
Adeyanju stated that if the allegations are accurate, it
would amount to one of the most blatant subversions of democratic norms Nigeria
has witnessed since the return to civilian rule in 1999.
He emphasized that in any functional constitutional system,
a president is only empowered to give assent to a legislation exactly as
approved by the legislature.
He argued that any modification after parliamentary
approval, whether through removal, insertion, or replacement of provisions,
constitutes a gross abuse of the lawmaking process and a direct violation of
the will of the Nigerian people.
The activist further demanded that the federal government
urgently provide a clear explanation and make public the certified copy of the
bill passed by the National Assembly.
He noted that anything less than full transparency would
reinforce perceptions that the Tinubu administration is operating like a
criminal syndicate rather than a legitimate government.
“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.”
Advertise on NigerianEye.com to reach thousands of our daily users
No comments
Post a Comment
Kindly drop a comment below.
(Comments are moderated. Clean comments will be approved immediately)
Advert Enquires - Reach out to us at NigerianEye@gmail.com