‘You don’t speak for the north’ — coalition tackles Ndume over opposition to tax reform bills

The Northern Redemption Coalition (NRC) has criticised Senator Ali Ndume, who represents Borno South, for “attempting to impose his tax reform views on the nation”.

On October 13, President Bola Tinubu asked the national assembly to consider and pass four tax reform bills.

The proposed legislation includes the Nigeria Tax Bill, the Tax Administration Bill, and the Joint Revenue Board Establishment Bill.

Tinubu also seeks to repeal the law establishing the Federal Inland Revenue Service which will be replaced with the Nigeria Revenue Service.

Ndume stirred controversy when he appeared on Channels Television’s Politics Today programme on Tuesday, describing the bills as “dead on arrival” and calling for them to be withdrawn.

However, in a statement on Wednesday, Adamu Bashir, NRC president, warned Ndume against overestimating his political influence and support.

Bashir added that Ndume’s position “does not reflect the views of Nigerians who are more discerning about the tax bills”.

“It is the failure of leaders like Ndume to develop the North that has left them with the phobia they have for the tax bills, which President Tinubu has demonstrated can turn the economy around,” he said.

“While he claimed to be speaking for the poor in the country, it turned out he cannot even speak for the North, and certainly, he appears disconnected from his constituency because all Ndume’s years in the Senate have been wasted as he has refused to uplift his constituents.

“Instead of his tenuous attempt at cheap populism, Ndume should reassess his position relative to the reality of the time by reviewing his errant stance to refocus his activity in a way that justifies his supposed love for the North.”

Bashir also expressed concern that Ndume’s views on the tax bills created a misconception of “a lazy and entitled north”, a region he described as “historically not resistant to taxes”.

“For the avoidance of doubt, the North is not afraid of the new tax bills. The North rather fears leaders like Ndume and our governors, who have refused to distribute wealth evenly, build schools for our teeming population of young people out of school, and empower our vulnerable women,” the statement added.