It’s Very Disheartening That Tinubu Can Append His Signature On A Forged Document — Okonkwo

Kenneth Okonkwo, a lawyer and chieftain of the African Democratic Congress, has accused President Bola Tinubu of endorsing and attempting to enforce a forged tax law, describing the development as disheartening and unacceptable in a democratic nation.

He made the allegation during an interview on Symfoni TV while reacting to controversies surrounding the new tax law scheduled to take effect on January 1. Okonkwo said serious disparities exist between the tax bill passed by the National Assembly and the version allegedly being implemented by the federal government.

According to him, lawmakers raised alarms on the floor of the National Assembly after discovering that the harmonised copy approved by legislators differed from the gazetted version. He noted that some lawmakers insisted the changes were deliberate and not accidental, suggesting criminal intent behind the alterations.

He argued that the alleged forgery was designed to usurp the constitutional powers of the legislature and the courts. Okonkwo explained that while the harmonized version granted oversight and investigative powers to the legislature, the gazetted copy transferred sweeping coercive powers to tax authorities.

He said the altered version empowers tax officials to arrest citizens, arbitrarily assess taxes, freeze bank accounts, and seize their money without court orders. Okonkwo maintained that such powers undermine due process and violate constitutional safeguards.

He stressed that any alteration to a bill passed by the National Assembly, no matter how minor, renders the entire document void and illegal. He faulted the presidency for failing to withdraw the tax law immediately after the discrepancies became public.

In his words, “It is very disheartening that in a nation like ours, the president and commander-in-chief of the armed forces can append his signature on a forged document and want to impose it on the people.”

“You know, the sad thing about this government is the impunity that they display when an abnormality is noticed. A president who has any sense of shame would have immediately pulled that tax.

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