Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has accused the executive branch of committing “an act of treason against the Nigerian people” by allegedly making illegal and unauthorized alterations to the country’s tax legislation after its passage by the National Assembly.
In a strongly worded press release issued on December 23, 2025, Atiku described the changes as a “brazen act of treason” and a “direct assault on our constitutional democracy,” arguing that they undermine “the foundational principle of legislative supremacy in the making of laws.”
He said the alterations reveal “a government more interested in extracting wealth from struggling citizens than empowering them to prosper.” Atiku highlighted what he called “unconstitutional alterations” inserted into the tax bills in violation of Sections 4 and 58 of the 1999 Constitution.
Detailing the alleged changes, Atiku pointed to “new coercive powers without legislative consent,” including “arrest powers granted to tax authorities,” “property seizure and garnishment without court orders,” and “enforcement sales conducted without judicial oversight.” He argued that these provisions “transform tax collectors into quasi-law enforcement agencies, stripping Nigerians of due process protections that the National Assembly deliberately included.”
Further, the former vice president criticized “increased financial burdens on citizens,” such as a “mandatory 20% security deposit before appealing tax assessments,” “compound interest on tax debts,” “quarterly reporting requirements with lowered thresholds,” and “forced USD computation for petroleum operations.”
According to Atiku, these measures “erect financial barriers that prevent ordinary Nigerians from challenging unjust assessments while increasing compliance costs for businesses already struggling in a difficult economy.”
Atiku also condemned the “removal of accountability mechanisms,” including the “deletion of quarterly and annual reporting obligations to the National Assembly,” “elimination of strategic planning submission requirements,” and “removal of ministerial supervisory provisions.” He stated that by “stripping away oversight mechanisms, the government has insulated itself from accountability while expanding its powers—a hallmark of authoritarian governance.”
Labeling the administration as “a government against its people,” Atiku’s release emphasized that the alterations expose “a troubling reality: a government obsessed with imposing ever-increasing tax burdens on impoverished Nigerians rather than creating conditions for prosperity.” He noted Nigeria’s high poverty rate, unemployment, and inflation, asserting that “rather than supporting citizens to become more productive, thereby generating sustainable tax revenues, the government employs draconian measures to squeeze resources from people who have little left to survive.”
Atiku argued for a shift in approach, stating, “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.”
In response to the alleged violations, Atiku issued a series of calls to action. He urged the executive “to immediately suspend the implementation of the tax law effective January 1, 2026 to give room for a proper investigation.” He called on the National Assembly “to immediately rectify these illegal alterations through proper legislative processes and hold accountable those responsible for this constitutional breach.”
Additionally, Atiku appealed to the judiciary “to strike down these unconstitutional provisions and reaffirm the sanctity of the legislative process,” and to civil society and all Nigerians “to reject this assault on democratic principles and demand governance that serves the people rather than exploiting them.” He further demanded that the government “abandon this path of extraction and oppression, and instead focus on policies that enable Nigerian citizens and businesses to thrive,” while calling on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) “to immediately investigate and prosecute those found culpable in the illegal alteration of our laws to extort and defraud the Nigerian people.”
Emphasizing the principle that “what the National Assembly did not pass cannot become law,” Atiku warned that failing to defend this could lead to “descending into arbitrary rule where constitutional safeguards mean nothing.” He concluded that “the Nigerian people deserve better than a government that circumvents democracy to impose hardship,” demanding “accountability, constitutional compliance, and economic policies that build prosperity rather than deepen poverty.”
As at the time of this report, there has been no immediate response from the presidency or the National Assembly regarding the allegations.
