Human rights advocate and activist Deji Adeyanju has raised serious concerns over reports suggesting that the tax reform legislation recently signed into law by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu differs significantly from the version passed by the National Assembly.
In a statement, Adeyanju warned that if these claims are accurate, it would amount to one of the most brazen affronts to Nigeria’s democratic system since the return to civilian rule in 1999.
“Reports indicate that the bill assented to by President Tinubu is materially different from what the National Assembly approved. If true, this is the most serious mockery of Nigeria’s democracy in decades,” Adeyanju said.
The activist stressed that, under a functioning constitutional framework, a president’s role is limited to assenting to legislation exactly as passed by the legislature. Any post-approval changes—whether additions, deletions, or substitutions—would constitute a flagrant violation of the lawmaking process and the mandate of the Nigerian people.
Adeyanju called on the federal government to urgently clarify the matter and release the certified copy of the National Assembly-approved bill. He warned that any lack of transparency could deepen public distrust, painting the Tinubu administration as operating more like a clandestine syndicate than a legitimate government.
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“The government owes Nigerians a full explanation. Anything short of transparency will only reinforce the perception that the administration is bypassing constitutional norms for its own interests,” he concluded.
