Atiku Abubakar, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate in the 2023 election, on Wednesday, criticised President Bola Tinubu’s government over the proposed tax reforms.

Speaking at a State of the Nation press conference at the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Centre in Abuja, Atiku said Nigerians were already suffering from “waste, corruption, mismanagement and policy arrogance,” adding that the Tinubu administration should not “fix government failure by billing the victims.”

Paul Ibe, media adviser to Atiku, shared the text of the press conference by the National Opposition Movement (NOM) on his verified X (formerly Twitter) page.

Atiku, a key member of the NOM, said: “Tinubu is not focused on governance. He is focused on brazen exploitation. We reject this tax because the timing is cruel and the logic is irrational. Fuel subsidy removal, naira collapse, food inflation and rising electricity tariffs have already pushed households and small businesses to the edge.

“Introducing an aggressive tax regime now not only shows, but indeed confirms, the widely held belief of a government dangerously out of touch with reality.

“As an oligarch and authoritarian, Tinubu, by this tax plan, concentrates enormous powers in the hands of revenue authorities in a country with weak safeguards. Account access (already being enforced), penalties, and automated enforcement without strong oversight invite abuse.

“When citizens fear the taxman more than they trust the government, something is fundamentally wrong.”

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) chieftain listed the coalition’s five demands as follows: Immediate suspension of the tax plan’s take-off date; Nationwide consultation involving labour, civil society, SMEs, professionals and states; Explicit social protection guarantees tied to any tax reform, A focus on taxing luxury, excess profits, monopolies and corruption, not poverty and Strong legal safeguards to protect taxpayer rights.

Earlier, Atiku said that over two years after taking the reins, there was no sign that President Tinubu could address the prevailing hunger and poverty in the country.

He described the level of hunger as unacceptable, especially for the underprivileged and downtrodden, warning that “most violent socio-political eruptions and revolutions all over the world have often been powered by pervasive hunger and unbearable material conditions – especially the paradox of squalor amidst plenty.”