Former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi has condemned what he calls a dangerous evolution in Nigeria's governance failures, from notorious budget padding to the alleged forgery of tax reform laws after National Assembly passage. In a statement titled "Migrating from Padded Budgets to Forged Laws," Obi spotlighted discrepancies between the tax bills approved by lawmakers and the versions published in the official gazette following President Bola Tinubu's June 2025 assent. He decried unauthorized insertions like a mandatory 20% tax deposit for court appeals, asset seizures without judicial oversight, and broader arrest powers for tax officials, labeling these as assaults on taxpayers' rights and constitutional integrity.
Obi questioned the Presidency's silence on who authorized the alterations, insisting Nigerians deserve clarity on what was signed, passed, and gazetted amid eroding public trust. The controversy, first raised by Rep. Abdulsammad Dasuki (PDP, Sokoto) on the House floor, led to an ad-hoc committee probe into potential constitutional breaches or treasonous acts. These four tax reforms—Nigeria Tax Act, Nigeria Tax Administration Act, Nigeria Revenue Service Act, and Joint Revenue Board Act—are slated for January 1, 2026 implementation.
While the Presidency defends the changes for revenue modernization, Obi warned that forging laws signals institutional decay, urging leadership grounded in transparency, due process, and rule of law to rebuild confidence. He stressed no nation prospers where silence shields accountability failures, calling for urgent resolution to protect justice access.