The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has renewed its call for the immediate suspension of the new Tax Act’s commencement date, set for January 1, 2026, amid allegations of discrepancies between the harmonized and gazetted versions of the legislation.
In a press statement released on December 30, 2025, and signed by Comrade Ini Ememobong, the National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, the opposition party accused the Tinubu administration of prioritizing financial interests over the welfare of Nigerians.
The PDP highlighted that provisions previously removed by Parliament had been “smuggled” back into the law, prompting widespread public outrage and demands for a thorough investigation into who was responsible and how it occurred.
“Rather than address these issues comprehensively, the Presidency has consciously minimized them and instead vehemently insisted that the commencement date must stand, despite the discrepancies,” the statement read.
“This disposition clearly shows where the priority of the government lies—between Nigerians and money.”
The PDP drew parallels to the administration’s handling of economic policies since President Bola Tinubu took office in 2023, particularly the abrupt removal of fuel subsidies, which it described as causing “irreparable economic damage” to ordinary citizens. The party urged the president to remember that he is “an employee of the people” and should heed their voices, noting that he secured less than 40% of the votes in the election that brought him to power.
In contrast, the statement referenced the PDP’s own governance in 2012, when it responded to public protests— including those in which Tinubu played a prominent role—by deferring the removal of fuel subsidies. “The interest of Nigerians must be uppermost in the mind of the President and the Federal Government,” it emphasized.
The PDP reiterated that obedience to laws in a democracy depends on public confidence in the legislative process. “A mere suspicion, let alone a confirmed fact, that unapproved sections have been smuggled into a law with the capacity to affect all Nigerians is sufficient reason to suspend its commencement,” the statement concluded.
It called on the president to act in favor of the people, warning that failure to do so would confirm that “money, not the people, is the priority.”
