In a recent interview on Channels Television’s “Politics Today,” Sada Soli, the representative for Jibia/Kaita Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, criticized President Bola Tinubu’s tax reform bills, asserting that they were inadequately drafted due to poor advisory input.
Soli emphasized that the President relies on advice when making decisions and suggested that in this instance, the counsel provided was subpar.
He said, “Let us be fair to Mr President. For a President to make a decision, he has to rely on certain advice. I think the President was poorly advised.”
“People that drafted these bills in the first place, the draft was poorly done because they were referring to the bills as Acts. When I read these bills, I know that they were poorly drafted and were not subjected to professional drafters.”
“We have to be fair to the President. He is an individual. He was advised by his consultants. And the bill did not go through the normal process it should have followed. Bola Tinubu, anybody that knows him knows his political sagacity.”
Despite his critique, Soli defended President Tinubu, highlighting his inclusive political approach. He remarked, “He is an inclusive politician. I have to be fair to him. When he realizes that the bills are capable of causing some problems, he subjected them to all scrutiny. Governors looked at them.”
The tax reform bills recently passed their second reading in the House of Representatives. With this progression, the bills will now move to the committee review stage, where lawmakers are expected to deliberate on the raised concerns and consider possible amendments before final passage.
“He (Tinubu) said that the Senate should go and sit down with the Attorney General of the Federation. He discussed with the Speaker and members of the House of Representatives to widely look at them, before he tried to consider the bills.”