Prioritise Governance Over Politics, Peoples Democratic Party Tells Tinubu

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has asked President Bola Tinubu-led administration to prioritise governance over politics.

It said recent events showed a normalisation of absurdities.

The PDP national publicity secretary, Comrade Ini Ememobong, said this while reacting to the disparity between the enacted copy and gazetted copy of the tax law; and president Tinubu’s absence at ECOWAS.
Reacting to the Tax Law disparity as disclosed by a member of the House of Representatives, Hon. Abdussamad Dasuki, the PDP spokesman said the disparity must be comprehensively investigated and not treated with the customary levity.

He said Nigerians are interested in knowing how the insertions and substitutions got into the gazetted copy.

“The leadership of the House of Representatives must not attempt to sweep it under the carpet, as it has done with the now popular rumour that the country is operating two budgets within a fiscal year.

“This criminal act of inserting unenacted sections in laws can erode public trust in the enactments of parliament.”

The party spokesman added that Nigerians need assurance that the laws they obey are valid laws enacted by their elected representatives, not laws with insertions that are strange to the lawmakers.

While commending, Hon. Dasuki, for his fastidiousness and courage in the discharge of his legislative duties, the party demanded that “the commencement date of the Tax Act should be shifted from January 1, 2026, for at least six months to allow sufficient time for the investigation of this anomaly, publication and circulation of the enacted version, and more importantly, the mounting of sufficient enlightenment campaigns on the new Act.”

The party spokesman also reacted to what he called Nigeria’s reduced regional and global influence which he blamed on poor leadership.

He said under the APC-led federal government, Nigeria’s respect and global standing have progressively declined to the point where the Air Force aircraft and personnel were detained for many days in Burkina Faso, until a team led by the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Amb. Yusuf Tuggar visited the country to negotiate their release, despite the initial denial by the Federal Government.

“To make matters worse, the White House has released a statement notifying that the United States of America has implemented a new regime of stronger visa restrictions on Nigerians.

“These restrictions, which affect both immigrant and non-immigrant visas, are based on the rising insecurity in the entire country and the inability of the government to effectively counter the situation, especially in Northern Nigeria.”

He said this is the lowest that the country has gone due to poor leadership, adding that during military rule, such harsh treatment was not meted on Nigeria and Nigerians.

“This is a sad commentary on the current leadership of our country, who have paid more attention to politics than governance.

“Rather than comprehensively tackle core security issues, the administration prefers to apply simplistic and tangential solutions and politicise security matters, like the recent uproar about the absurd attempt at promoting the President’s Aide-De-Camp and other presidential security aides.

He said under this administration, Nigeria’s military capacity has consistently reduced, as shown in the Global Firepower report 2024, where Nigeria dropped to 39th from its earlier 36th position in 2023.

He also faulted Tinubu’s absence at ECOWAS heads of government meeting in Abuja to discuss insecurity and political instability affecting member states.

He said while presidents of member states travelled into Nigeria to attend the meeting due to the importance of the issues on the agenda, the host, President Tinubu, was represented by Vice President Shettima.

“While the President is at liberty to send a representative, if he is indisposed, subsequent attendance at a political event the next day creates a perception of less premium paid to regional stability, which is in opposition to our foreign policy.

“Acts like this may contribute to the scant regard our country has earned under his administration, in the eyes of other countries, who respected and revered us previously.

“We call on the Tinubu/APC-led federal government to prioritise governance over politics. It should intensify investment in critical infrastructure in the areas of security, education, roads, and health care across the country, instead of funding and empowering political structures in preparation for 2027 elections using Renewed Hope Ambassadors.

“The stakes are too high for business as usual. Our legislative integrity, international standing, and regional leadership are not partisan issues, they are national imperatives.

“Nigerians deserve solutions, not excuses. Our contemporary challenges demand evidence-based policies, transparent governance, and collaborative problem-solving. The time for action is now. When institutions fail, democracy suffers. When leadership falters, the nation pays the price,” he said.