The Senate has dismissed a claim by Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Senator Ireti Kingibe that Nigerians could face a tax of 25 per cent on their earnings if the All Progressives Congress (APC) returns to power in 2027.
Senate spokesman Yemi Adaramodu described the claim as misleading, insisting that the tax legislation had already been passed by the National Assembly and signed into law by President Bola Tinubu.
Adaramodu, who chairs the Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, made the remarks in an interview with Sunday Punch, accusing Kingibe of misrepresenting the law for political reasons.
He maintained that the provisions contained in the enacted legislation, rather than claims about what it might introduce, should guide public understanding of the tax reforms.
“Already, the tax law has been passed, and then it has become a public document,” he said.
Adaramodu added that any provision not contained in the law passed by lawmakers and assented to by the President should not be presented as part of the legislation.
“Anybody bringing anything back from the tax reform or law is just becoming a revisionist. It’s only a revisionist that could still be talking about that. The tax law we are talking about was passed almost one year ago,” he stated.
The Senate spokesman also stressed that Kingibe was not the presiding officer of the chamber, describing her as a senator representing the FCT.
He said the Senate would not engage in exchanges over what he considered political statements, adding that lawmakers who had concerns about the legislation could raise them through a motion or petition.
“If any senator feels so nibbled by whatever law we have passed and has been assented to, he or she can come to the floor of the Senate and raise a motion or send a petition,” Adaramodu said.
Kingibe warns FCT residents over tax concerns
Kingibe, who is seeking re-election to the Senate on the platform of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), had warned FCT residents against voting for the APC in the 2027 elections.
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In a widely circulated video delivered in Pidgin English, the senator urged Nigerians to take responsibility for the country’s future and demand better governance.
“This is our country; we must claim it back. Nobody will do it for us. We are the ones to do it,” she said.
Kingibe argued that Nigerians needed to unite and speak out against the difficulties they were experiencing.
She also alleged that lawmakers had approved a tax rate of 25 per cent on earnings, claiming that implementation was being delayed because of concerns about a possible public backlash before the next general election.
“Tax will soon be increased to 25 per cent of everything you earn. The money you currently have is not even enough for you. And what I am telling you, it has been passed. We have passed it in the National Assembly, but they are scared to implement it,” she said.
The senator warned that Nigerians could face further hardship if the policy she described was implemented.