Onanuga also wondered if this is the strategy the ex-minister’s party wants to employ for the 2027 general election.
By Kehinde Okeowo
Bayo Onanuga, the Special Adviser on Information and Strategy to President Bola Tinubu, has accused former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, of spreading what he described as “egregious lies” about the proposed tax law.
He levelled the allegation on Sunday in a post on his X (formerly Twitter) page while reacting to a viral video in which Amaechi spoke about the potential impact of the new tax regime.
In the clip, the former Rivers State governor warned that the tax law, when implemented, would severely affect businesses and the everyday lives of Nigerians.
He said: “By January next year, February next year, all of you will be in trouble if APC wins.
“Immediately after the election, APC will implement the tax law. The tax law is: if I pay you 100 million Naira for your building materials, automatically 25 million will leave your account.”
Amaechi added: “If you are a landlord and building a house, you will charge 25% extra because you won’t bear it alone; you will transfer it to the person who buys or rents. If the man who rented the house is a doctor, he will do what? Charge more. If he’s a carpenter, he will do the same… This affects everybody, not just you.”
He also wondered why the President Tinubu-led government isn’t implementing the tax before the election, suggesting it is being delayed to avoid a voter backlash.
“If you say it’s a lie, go to your lawyer. Ask your son, if he’s a lawyer: ‘explain to me what is this tax law.’
“Why is Tinubu not implementing it now? He’s waiting to finish the election so that you don’t punish him,” he added.
He urged citizens to protect their future by participating actively in the electoral process, stressing that the issue would have far-reaching consequences for families and livelihoods nationwide.
Reacting to the claims, Onanuga accused the former governor of misleading Nigerians about the contents of the Tax Act.
“Rotimi Amaechi caught spreading egregious lies about the Tax Act. The former minister and governor has really slipped so low, misleading people about the law,” he wrote.
He went on to question if this is the strategy of the ex-minister’s party, the African Democratic Congress (ADC), for the 2027 general election.
Onanuga added: “Is this blatant falsehood a foretaste of the ADC campaign strategy during the campaign for the 2027 election?”
