A lawmaker representing Jibia/Kaita Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Sada Soli, has raised concerns over the lack of due process in the drafting of President Bola Tinubu’s tax reform bills.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Wednesday, Soli criticized the quality of the bills, noting that they were not prepared by professionals and lacked the expected standards of legislative drafting.
He also argued that the President had been misled by his advisers on the matter.
“Let us be fair to Mr President. For a President to take a decision, he has to rely on certain advice. I think the President was poorly advised,” Soli said.
He further stated, “People that drafted these bills in the first place, the draft was poorly done because they were referring to the bills as Acts. When I read these bills, I know that they were poorly drafted and were not subjected to professional drafters.”
Soli defended the President, attributing the issues to the advice provided by consultants rather than Tinubu’s leadership.
“We have to be fair to the President. He is an individual. He was advised by his consultants. And the bill did not go through the normal process it should have followed. Bola Tinubu, anybody that knows him knows his political sagacity,” Soli added.
He emphasized Tinubu’s inclusive style of governance and his willingness to submit the bills for thorough review once the concerns were identified.
“He is an inclusive politician. I have to be fair to him. When he realises that the bills are capable of causing some problems, he subjected them to all scrutiny. Governors looked at them.
“He (Tinubu) said that the Senate should go and sit down with the Attorney General of the Federation. He discussed with the Speaker and members of the House of Representatives to widely look at them, before he tried to consider the bills,” Soli explained.
The PUNCH reported that the tax reform bills passed second reading in the House of Representatives on Wednesday.
They will now move to the committee stage for further deliberation, where lawmakers will address the raised concerns and consider possible amendments before the final passage.
