Ndume says Version of tax law passed by n’assembly different from what Tinubu signed

Ali Ndume, senator representing Borno south and former senate leader, has alleged that the tax reform laws signed by President Bola Tinubu differ from the versions passed by the national assembly.

Ndume said the discrepancies raise serious concerns about transparency in governance, accusing the federal government of treating Nigerians with levity.

Speaking on Prime Time, a programme on Arise TV, on Wednesday, Ndume reacted to ongoing controversies surrounding the tax legislation.

His comments followed earlier claims by Abdussamad Dasuki, a member of the house of representatives, who alleged last year that there were differences between the tax reform bills approved by lawmakers and the copies later made available to the public.

Ndume said Taiwo Oyedele, chairman of the presidential committee on tax reforms, had acknowledged the existence of “differentials” in the law, noting that there were “at least two versions” of the tax legislation.

“Even the chairman of the presidential committee on tax reform, Taiwo Oyedele, admitted that there are differentials — two versions, or at least two versions — of the tax law, and that if anything is to be corrected, it has to be done by the national assembly,” Ndume said.

Reacting to claims by Senate President Godswill Akpabio that there were no discrepancies, Ndume dismissed the position as a personal opinion.

“That is his opinion. As for me, I did a lot of research on it, and when a house of representatives member raised the matter, it was not denied,” he said.

The senator added that the house of representatives is still investigating the issue, stressing that his main concern is the lack of openness in the handling of the matter.

“My problem is not whether there are discrepancies or not; I am worried about doing things behind closed doors. This is a government of the people, for the people, and by the people,” he said.

Ndume called on the leadership of the National Assembly to address the issue publicly, adding that lawmakers should be allowed to express dissenting views without being branded as rebels.

“I called on the leadership to say, ‘Look, there is a problem here, because what we passed is not what the president signed,’” he said.

He warned that the alleged discrepancies should not be ignored, noting that laws enacted under disputed circumstances could be challenged in court.

“This is not something they can just bury, because the way they are going about it is full of contradiction and controversy,” he said.

Ndume also dismissed claims that the tax reforms were already being implemented, arguing that implementation would be impossible with multiple versions of the law in circulation.

“There are different versions out there, so which one do they implement?” he asked.

He accused the government of personalising national issues and warned that failure to resolve the matter could have serious consequences

“The president is the president of Nigeria; he is a servant of the people. Nigerians are not servants of the president, and this thing will fall back on them if they don’t fix it,” Ndume said.