By Kingston Magare 23.12.2025
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has accused President Bola Tinubu of trying to make Nigerian poorer with his tax reforms, which was altered after it was passed into law by the National Assembly.
Atiku an aspirant in the 2027 presidential elections said by smuggling some provisions into the Tax Reform Act, the Tinubu government has launched a direct assault on Nigeria’s constitution democracy, he described the action as a treasonous act against the Nigerian people.
“The illegal and unauthorized alterations made to Nigeria’s tax legislation after passage by the National Assembly represents a brazen act of treason against the Nigerian people and a direct assault on our constitutional democracy,” Atiku said in a statement on Tuesday.
“This constitutional violation exposes a troubling reality: a government obsessed with imposing ever-increasing tax burdens on impoverished Nigerians rather than creating conditions for prosperity.
“Instead of investing in infrastructure, education, healthcare, and economic empowerment that would expand the tax base organically, this administration chooses the path of aggressive extraction from an already struggling populace,” he explained.
According to him, true economic growth comes from empowering citizens, not impoverishing them further through punitive taxation and erosion of legal protections.
“A thriving economy with prosperous citizens naturally generates robust tax revenues. But this requires vision, investment, and patience, qualities evidently lacking in an administration that resorts to constitutional manipulation to achieve short-term fiscal goals.”
The politician demanded immediate suspension of the controversial tax reforms for a thorough investigation, calling on the national assembly to rectify the illegal alterations through proper legislative processes and hold accountable those responsible for this constitutional breach.