Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has described the alleged alterations in the tax reform laws as a brazen act of treason against the Nigerian people.

Mr Abubakar said the allegations was a direct assault on the country’s constitutional democracy.

“The illegal and unauthorized alterations made to Nigeria’s tax legislation after passage by the National Assembly represents a brazen act of treason against the Nigerian people and a direct assault on our constitutional democracy,” Mr Abubakar said in a statement on Tuesday.

Controversy trailed the tax reforms since a House of Representatives member from Sokoto State, Abdussamad Dasuki, drew his colleagues’ attention to alleged discrepancies between the laws approved by the House and the version President Bola Tinubu signed into law.

Mr Abubakar said the draconian overreach by the executive branch undermined the foundational principle of legislative supremacy in the making of laws.

He stated that it revealed Mr Tinubu’s government as one more interested in extracting wealth from struggling citizens than empowering them to prosper.

Citing various altered sections of the reforms which he described as unconstitutional, the former vice president said the development exposed Mr Tinubu’s government as one hellbent on impoverishing Nigerians.

“This constitutional violation exposes a troubling reality: a government obsessed with imposing ever-increasing tax burdens on impoverished Nigerians rather than creating conditions for prosperity. Instead of investing in infrastructure, education, healthcare, and economic empowerment that would expand the tax base organically, this administration chooses the path of aggressive extraction from an already struggling populace,” he explained.

The politician further cited an unprecedented rate of unemployment, inflation among many other challenges in the country, accusing Mr Tinubu’s government of employing “draconian measures to squeeze resources from people who have little left to survive.”

According to him, true economic growth comes from empowering citizens, not impoverishing them further through punitive taxation and erosion of legal protections.

Mr Abubakar added, “A thriving economy with prosperous citizens naturally generates robust tax revenues. But this requires vision, investment, and patience, qualities evidently lacking in an administration that resorts to constitutional manipulation to achieve short-term fiscal goals.”

The politician demanded immediate suspension of the controversial tax reforms for a thorough investigation, calling on the national assembly to rectify the illegal alterations through proper legislative processes and hold accountable those responsible for this constitutional breach.

“The judiciary to strike down these unconstitutional provisions and reaffirm the sanctity of the legislative process. Civil Society and all Nigerians to reject this assault on democratic principles and demand governance that serves the people rather than exploiting them,” Mr Abubakar said.