Senator Ndume Says Only Senate Committee Can Authenticate Genuineness Of New Tax Bill

By Ayodele Oni

As the authenticity of the new tax law as signed by President Bola Tinubu continues, the Senator representing Borno South at the National Assembly, Ali Ndume, has advised the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, to constitute a committee to look into alleged discrepancies in the new tax law passed by the red chamber.

Ndume declared: “I’m surprised that the Senate President said there’s no adulteration. He’s not supposed to do that. He’s supposed to say, okay, we’ll find out. Set up a committee, because the House of Representatives has done that too, to find out.

“I will talk to him on that. This is not something that they can just bury. You know why? You cannot build on nothing, or you cannot build on disputed grounds

Recall that Akpabio, during Wednesday’s plenary said the new tax law is not adulterated as the public has perceived it.

However, Ndume, during an interview on Arise Television’s ‘Prime Time’ programme, Ndume slammed Akpabio, insisting that the new tax is fundamentally flawed.

According to Ndume, there are at least two versions of the Gazette for the new tax law, stressing that he was among those who identified the differences between what was passed and what President Bola Tinubu signed.

The Senator stated that Akpabio ought to set up a committee to find out the discrepancies rather than saying there is no adulteration.

He said, “We called the leadership to let them know that what we passed is not what the president signed. I don’t know why Sen. Akpabio is saying there are no discrepancies when he should set up a committee to find out.

“You will agree with me that even the Chairman of the Presidential Committee on tax reform, Taiwo Oyedele, admitted that they are differentials, two versions, or at least two versions of the tax law, and that if something has to be done, it has to be the National Assembly.

“My problem is not whether there are discrepancies or not. I’m worried about doing things behind closed doors.

“This is government of the people, for the people and by the people. And for God’s sake, why would you hide anything, even if it is personal?

“What if somebody now goes to court? You think the court will not listen to them? The way they are going about it up initial is full of contradiction and controversy.”

Recall that last week, the governor of Oyo State, Seyi Makinde also raised concerns about the new tax laws, saying neither state governors nor Nigerians know what was eventually passed by the National Assembly or signed into law.

Makinde spoke while addressing former Vice President Yemi Osinbajo at a public event, where he openly expressed regret over Osinbajo’s exit from office, citing what he described as a decline in openness and consultative governance under the President Tinubu’s administration.