A shocking controversy is brewing in Nigeria’s political circles, with allegations that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu signed into law a tax reform bill that differs significantly from the version passed by the National Assembly.
Human rights lawyer and activist Deji Adeyanju on Thursdsy, December 18, 2025, condemned the alleged alteration, calling it a “mockery of Nigeria’s democracy” and “legislative fraud.”
Adeyanju demanded that the Tinubu administration should provide an explanation and publish the authenticated version of the bill passed by the National Assembly.
He said that failure to do so would imply that the administration was “a criminal enterprise masquerading as a government”.
THE CONCLAVE reports that this development has sparked concerns about the integrity of Nigeria’s democratic processes and the rule of law.
The tax reform bill has been a contentious issue, with critics arguing that it imposes harsh fiscal policies on citizens already overwhelmed by poverty, insecurity, and rising living costs.
The opposition movement has warned that pushing through the tax plan without broad consultation would leave the government responsible for any social and economic consequences.
Adeyanju’s press release is published in extenso hereunder:
THE ALTERATION OF THE TAX REFORM BILL IS A MOCKERY OF NIGERIA’S DEMOCRACY” – ADEYANJU.
There are disturbing reports that the tax reform bill assented to by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is materially different from the version duly passed by the National Assembly. If this allegation is true, it represents the greatest mockery of Nigeria’s democracy since 1999.
In a sane constitutional democracy, the President can only assent to the exact bill passed by the legislature. Any post-passage alteration, whether by omission, addition, or substitution, amounts to legislative fraud and an affront to the sovereignty of the Nigerian people!
The Tinubu administration must immediately come clean with an explanation and publish the authenticated version of the bill passed by the National Assembly. Anything short of this shows that the Tinubu Administration is a criminal enterprise masquerading as a government.
SIGNED: DEJI ADEYANJU ESQ
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