North won’t oppose Tinubu’s re-election because of tax reform bill – APC chief

The Director-General of Tinubu-Shettima Ambassadors, a campaign group that canvassed for votes for President Bola Tinubu in the 2023 general election, Oladele Oyelude, has said the north won’t oppose the re-election of the incumbent because of the tax reform bill.

Oyelude, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) made this known while speaking to journalists in Osogbo, Osun State on Saturday.

According to Oyelude, those against the bill should use their National Assembly members to push their opposition to the idea.

He explained that the bill would enhance the development of the country by putting governors to task towards aggressive generation of revenue and that that its grey areas could be addressed by the National Assembly while deliberating on the bill.

“The National Assembly will look at the bill in a way that it won’t lead to disintegration,” he said. “The reform in the tax system will affect the name and a few other things about the tax system. It won’t be in the best interest of the country for the National Assembly to throw out the Tax Reform Bill.

“I believe North won’t oppose Tinubu’s reelection because of the tax reform bill. A northerner is the Vice President, so they can’t go against Tinubu based on the bill. The fate of the bill will be decided by the National Assembly.

“If the North feels the bill is not good enough, they should pass their resolution against it through their House of Representatives members and their Senators.”

In October 2024, Tinubu transmitted the Nigeria Tax Bill 2024 to the National Assembly.

The bill is entitled, “An Act to Repeal Certain Acts on Taxation and Consolidate the Legal Frameworks Relating to Taxation and Enact the Nigeria Tax Act to Provide for Taxation of Income, Transactions and Instruments, and for Related Matters.”

However, the bill generated reactions from different areas including governors and traditional rulers of Northern Nigerian states who unanimously rejected it.

According to the northern governors, the contents of the proposed tax bill are not in tandem with the interests of the North and other sub-national entities.