By Abiola Olawale
The Presidency has issued a stern rebuttal against recent statements made by former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, regarding the Federal Government’s newly gazetted tax reform laws.
The special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga labeled Amaechi’s claims as “misleading” and “unfounded.”
The allegation stems from a viral video in which Amaechi warned of severe economic repercussions if the ruling All Progressives Congress retains power in the 2027 elections.
He cited potential negative impacts the tax law could have on Nigerians should the APC win.
He said, “By January next year, February next year, all of you will be in trouble if APC wins.
“Immediately after the election, the APC will implement the tax law. The tax law is that 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.
Reacting, Onanuga slammed Amaechi, a former governor of Rivers State for allegedly 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 the 2027 election?”
Recall that the tax laws, which became effective on January 1, 2026, have been the subject of criticism.
