Presidential spokesperson Bayo Onanuga has accused former Minister of Transportation Rotimi Amaechi of peddling what he termed “egregious lies” regarding the alleged tax law.
Onanuga made the comment in a post on his X handle while reacting to a viral video in which Amaechi spoke about the potential impact of the tax policy implementation.
In the video, Amaechi warned that a tax law he claimed would be implemented after the next general election, could severely affect businesses and everyday life.
He said: “By January next year, February next year, all of you will be in trouble if APC wins.
“Immediately after the election, APC will implement the tax law. The tax law is if I pay you 100 million Naira for your building materials, automatically 25 million will leave your account.
“If you are a landlord and building a house, you will charge 25% extra because you won’t bear it alone, you will transfer it to the person who buys or rents. If the man who rented the house is a doctor, he will do what? Charge more. If he’s a carpenter, he will do the same… This affects everybody, not just you,” he added.
Amaechi also questioned why the government had not introduced the alleged tax measure before the election, suggesting it was being delayed to avoid voter backlash.
“If you say it’s a lie, go to your lawyer. Ask your son, if he’s a lawyer, explain to me what is this tax law.
“Why is Tinubu not implementing it now? He’s waiting to finish the election so that you don’t punish him,” he added.
He urged citizens to protect their future by participating actively in the electoral process, stressing that the issue would have far-reaching consequences for families and livelihoods nationwide.
“It’s about you. It’s about your children. You will not have money to pay school fees…If you want to survive, don’t look at my face, whether you like me or not, it is immaterial. It is about your future,” he said.
Reacting, Onanuga accused the former governor of misleading Nigerians about the contents of the Tax Act.
“Rotimi Amaechi caught spreading egregious lies about the Tax Act. The former minister, governor has really slipped so low misleading people about the law,” he wrote.
He added, “Is this blatant falsehood a foretaste of ADC campaign strategy during the campaign for 2027 election?”
