A former National Publicity Secretary of the defunct New Peoples Democratic Party and Chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, Chief Eze Chukwuemeka Eze, has urged the National Assembly to act swiftly against President Bola Tinubu.
Eze called for the immediate commencement of impeachment proceedings over alleged alterations to the recently passed Tax Reform Bill, describing the issue as a serious constitutional breach.
The Tax Reform Bill was approved by both chambers of the National Assembly to expand Nigeria’s tax base, improve administration, raise revenue, and cut borrowing.
Concerns emerged after Abdulsammad Dasuki, a Peoples Democratic Party lawmaker from Sokoto State, raised objections during a plenary session of the House of Representatives.
Dasuki alleged that the tax laws available to the public were not the same as the versions debated and passed by lawmakers.
Raising a Point of Order, he stated that his legislative rights were violated, insisting the gazetted law did not reflect what lawmakers approved.
The lawmaker said he reviewed the gazetted tax laws for three days alongside the Votes and Proceedings and the harmonised versions adopted by both chambers.
He claimed to have discovered provisions that were not part of the original bill approved by the legislature.
Reacting, Eze likened the alleged insertions to the biblical parable in Matthew 13:25, saying, “When men slept, the enemy sowed tares.”
“After lawmakers legislated on the draft bill and sent it to President Tinubu for assent, in the thick of the night, while lawmakers had retreated to slumberland and Nigerians were deep in sleep, the President stealthily grabbed the document, tampered with it, and distorted the law to suit his personal perspective of what a tax law should be,” Eze alleged.
“And since this embarrassment was made public, Senate President Godswill Akpabio has disappointingly acted to sweep it under the carpet. He has denied lawmakers access to the certified true copies of the bills.”
“The restriction placed on lawmakers from accessing the certified copies by Sen. Akpabio has deepened suspicion and internal wrangling within the legislature,” he added.
Eze described the alleged alteration as a criminal takeover of the legislative process and a violation of constitutional order.
He said the action amounted to gross misconduct, abuse of office, and a clear breach of the constitution.
“Such actions amount to gross misconduct, abuse of office, and violation of the constitution and should quickly trigger impeachment proceedings against the President under the constitutional provisions governing executive accountability.”
He stressed that the President lacks constitutional powers to amend bills passed by the legislature.
“Any discrepancy between the enrolled bill and the passed bill is treated as a serious constitutional defect.”
“The business of law-making is the exclusive function of the legislature. Therefore, by his action, the President has usurped legislative authority.”
Eze warned that such interference threatens democratic governance and weakens the separation of powers.
He criticised the silence of the National Assembly leadership, stating that their inaction encourages executive overreach and undermines public trust.