CNG further claimed that Tinubu’s insistence on enforcing the reforms despite public pushback contradicts his long-professed pro-democracy credentials.
The Coalition of Northern Groups (CNG) has accused President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of attempting to impose the newly enacted tax reform laws on Nigerians from January 1, 2026 despite credible allegations that the versions approved by the National Assembly were materially altered before gazetting.
In a statement signed by its National Coordinator, Comrade Jamilu Aliyu Charanchi, issued on Wednesday, the group described the move as a “reckless assault on democracy” and an “executive overreach that threatens constitutional order.”
CNG said its position is backed by verified facts, expert legal reviews and testimonies from lawmakers, which allegedly show that the gazetted laws are not the same as the versions debated and passed in parliament.
“These discrepancies are not minor drafting errors; they are substantive alterations that strike at the heart of legislative authority, constitutional order and the rule of law,” Charanchi said.
“This desperate push, despite glaring procedural breaches and widespread public opposition, betrays a governing mindset increasingly detached from democratic accountability, constitutional restraint, and social responsibility.”
The group accused the Presidency and the Chairman of the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms, Taiwo Oyedele, of pushing an agenda that could worsen hardship and impose “illegitimate reforms” on millions already battling poverty, unemployment, and inflation.
CNG further claimed that Tinubu’s insistence on enforcing the reforms despite public pushback contradicts his long-professed pro-democracy credentials.
“Rather than heed legitimate calls for suspension and review, the Presidency has chosen arrogance over dialogue and coercion over consensus,” the group said.
“This contradiction between professed democratic credentials and present authoritarian conduct exposes a dangerous erosion of the very values the President once claimed to defend.”
The group said, “Contrary to the Presidency’s claim that ‘no substantial issue has been established,’ the controversy surrounding the alleged post-passage alteration of the tax laws remains serious, unresolved, and constitutionally significant.
“Any law altered after legislative approval, without fresh debate and re-passage by the National Assembly, cannot be considered valid under Nigeria’s constitutional framework. To insist on enforcing such laws amounts to executive overreach and a direct assault on democratic governance.
“No amount of rhetoric about ‘structural reset’ or ‘once-in-a-generation reforms’ can justify bypassing due process or imposing legislation of questionable legitimacy on Nigerians. This posture only reinforces the suspicion that there is an ulterior motive behind the so-called tax reforms."
The coalition also took aim at the National Assembly, accusing lawmakers of abandoning their constitutional duty by refusing to confront the Presidency over the alleged alterations.
“The CNG is equally alarmed by the disgraceful conduct of the National Assembly, which has increasingly abandoned its constitutional role as a coequal arm of government,” the group said.
“The spectacle of lawmakers openly chanting “on your mandate we stand” during President Tinubu’s appearance in the legislative chamber was not merely embarrassing, it was a public declaration of legislative surrender.
“A legislature that cannot defend the integrity of laws it claims to have passed has forfeited its independence and betrayed the trust of the Nigerian people.”
“By failing to assert its authority in the face of alleged alterations to duly passed legislation, the National Assembly has reduced itself to an appendage of the Executive, undermined the doctrine of separation of powers, and weakened democratic accountability,” it said.
“This conduct erodes public confidence and sets a dangerous precedent that threatens the foundations of constitutional governance in Nigeria."
The coalition questioned the motive behind what it called a “desperate push” to implement the new taxes on January 1, 2026, despite unresolved disputes and rising economic hardship.
“If, as the Presidency insists, these tax reforms are people-centred and designed to strengthen the social contract, one must ask: why the desperate rush to implement them on January 1, 2026, amid unresolved disputes, public skepticism, and open disagreement even among lawmakers?” the group asked.
“Why the obsession with speed when Nigerians are already grappling with severe economic hardship, poverty, insecurity, and unemployment? Responsible governance demands caution, transparency, and consensus, not intimidation and executive fiat.
“Millions of Nigerians are already overstretched by economic distress. Any tax reform imposed through questionable processes will only deepen public resentment, weaken state–citizen relations, and reinforce perceptions of injustice, exclusion, and elite insensitivity.”
“The CNG rejects any attempt to railroad Nigerians into compliance with laws whose legitimacy is in doubt,” the statement added.