By Folorunso Alagbede, Abuja
A political group, the League of Northern Democrats, (LND) has written to the leadership of the National Assembly, calling for an immediate institution of a transparent investigation into an alleged discrepancy between the tax bill passed by the legislature and the law gazetted and assented to by President Bola Tinubu.
The letter to the President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon Tajudeen Abbas by the LND demanding for the transparent investigation into the Bill was confirmed in a statement on Saturday in Abuja by its Publicity Secretary, Dr. Ladan Salihu.
The LND made the demand for the investigation into the matter following the alleged alteration of a duly passed tax law and the National Assembly’s constitutional duty to act.
The League of Northern Democrats called for a public laying of the two versions of the tax bill (the one passed by the National Assembly and the one gazetted and assented to by the President) before the Nigerian people for verification.
The League further urged the National Assembly to invoke its constitutional powers under Section 143 of the 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) to take necessary action, if the allegation is found to be true.
The LND, in its letter called on the National Assembly leadership, to:
” immediately institute a transparent investigation into the discrepancy
between the bill passed by the legislature and the law gazetted and
assented to;
“Publicly lay both versions before the Nigerian people for verification; and
invoke your constitutional powers under Section 143 without any delay if the allegation is substantiated.
“Failure to act will not merely weaken Parliament, it will irreversibly damage
constitutional governance, reduce the National Assembly to a subordinate
appendage of the Executive and institute full -blown dictatorship in the country.
“History will judge this moment The Constitution demands courage.
Yours in defence of constitutional democracy.”
The President, the LND said, has no constitutional authority to amend, modify, substitute or rewrite a bill passed by Parliament.
The League said, “His (President:s) role is strictly limited to assent or a refusal of assent. Any deviation from this is an illegal usurpation of legislative
powers, a contempt of Parliament and a grave breach of the Constitution.
“Such conduct not only amounts to gross misconduct within the meaning of
Section 143 of the Constitution; being a serious violation of both the Constitution and the presidential oath of office, but also constitutes a serious act of dishonesty
” It is not a technical irregularity; it strikes at the very foundation of separation of powers and constitutional democracy”, it said.
ENDS
