By Olawale Lamina
A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Chief Eze Chukwuemeka Eze, has criticized the Special Adviser, Information and Strategy to President Bola Tinubu, Mr Bayo Onanuga for his comments against Rt. Hon. (Barr) Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, erstwhile Governor of Rivers State and former Minister of Transportation, who spelt out the implications of the tax regime and the refusal by government to implement same.
According to Eze, Amaechi had recently explained to Nigerians what the Tinubu tax reform implies and the reason the current administration’s deliberate refusal to implement it for now.
Eze quoted Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, one of the leading Presidential candidates of African Democratic Congress (ADC), as saying that Tinubu is delaying the implementation of the new tax law to avoid voters’ backlash in the 2027 election.
The party chieftain stated that the presidency may have been jolted by what he dubbed as “Amaechi’s frank talk,” and through Onanuga, rejected the former Rivers state governor’s claims about the new tax laws, calling them “egregious lies.”
However, in a statement on Tuesday, Chief Eze, formerly the National Publicity Secretary of the defunct New Peoples Democratic Party (nPDP), reacted by stating that Onanuga only played to the gallery without disputing Amaechi’s candid truth. “He goofed! He didn’t answer Amaechi right,” Eze said
In the light of the presidential aide’s statement, Eze argued that there was nothing wrong in Rt. Hon. Amaechi taking his time to educate and warn Nigerians about the danger and implications of voting APC come 2027 and the serious economic consequences ahead if the ruling APC remains in power after the 2027 elections.
Rather, he therefore commended Amaechi for expressing concerns over the possible implications of the tax law on Nigerians.
“What is the fallacy in what Barr. Amaechi said? ” Eze querried Onanuga .
“Is it not true that the Tinubu government is delaying the introduction and implementation of the new tax law to avoid voter backlash and being punished at the poll?” Eze quipped rhetorically.
He said further: “Like Amaechi rightly pointed out, by January, February next year, Nigerians will be in trouble if Tinubu is re-elected.
“The honest truth is that after the election, peradventure the APC forms government in 2027, they will definitely implement the tax law and poor Nigerians will suffer untold hardship,”
Eze insisted that no amount of damage control or name calling in the media space by Onanuga, will deflate Amaechi’s stance on why the implementation of the tax law is delayed.
He alleged that, “Prominent Nigerians, business magnets, high net worth individuals, civil servants, captains of industries, the downtrodden etc are now in the know of what Tinubu has planned to do with this obnoxious tax regime if re-elected.
“What else has Onanuga to say? Of course, nothing apart from issuing a terse and empty statement, while failing woefully to proffer a superior argument to whittle down Amaechi’s bitter truth.”
According to him, Mr. Onanuga denied the salient facts highlighted by Amaechi as an exercise in futility as they are crystal clear, adding that Nigerians are not going to be deceived nor taken for a fool.
Eze also accused the presidency of being instrumental to the passage of the tax bill, against the backdrop of “the speed President Tinubu used in appending his signature on the Tax Law even when many people raised alarm over its adverse implications on Nigerians, we expected that Tinubu will begin its implementation right away.”
He added that, “Amaechi has spoken; Onanuga knows that Amaechi is right just as he sincerely knows why Tinubu is delaying implementation of the anti people tax law. But because he is one of Tinubu’s hangers on, he will always call pot and kettle white.”
Chief Eze therefore advised Nigerians of voting age to heed Amaechi’s warnings, which he noted were borne out of patriotism, saying it is time to vote the APC out.
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