Headlines
VAT: Lagos Cautions Northern Governors, Says Supreme Court Should Be Allowed to Decide
The Lagos State Government has said only the Supreme Court has the right to settle the question of whether states or the Federal Government should collect the Value Added Tax.
The Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr Gbenga Omotosho, said this on Tuesday in reaction to the statement made by Northern Governors Forum, rejecting the collection of VAT by states.
He said, “I think what the Northern Governors are trying to do is to confuse administrative convenience with constitutionality. First, let me say that they have a right to their opinion; it is all a matter of free speech. But beyond the debate, there is the constitutionality of it which the Supreme Court is being asked to make a pronouncement on.
“No matter the sentiment that anybody may have, the question remains – and this is what the Supreme Court is being asked to look into – who has the authority to collect the Value-Added Tax, is it the Federal Government or the state? And until there is a pronouncement on that, it is wrong for anybody to just give his administrative convenience for constitutionality.
“In other words, the Supreme Court only has the right to settle the question of who should collect the VAT. The question is not whether it is convenient or not; because if something is not convenient, that should not take away the constitutionality of it, and it is this constitutionality that the Supreme Court is asked to pronounce on.
“And it is not a matter of sentiment; it is a matter of legality, the law and justice. The law is not interested in sympathy; it is only interested in the law. So what are the provisions of the law in regards to collection of VAT? That is what the Supreme Court has to pronounce on.
“Whenever we are talking about collection of VAT, whether it is convenient for states or not, when they get to that bridge, they will cross it. The question remains who has the right to collect it.”
The National Working Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party (NWC) has suspended the National Legal Adviser, Kamaldeen Ajibade; National Secretary, Samuel Anyanwu; Deputy Legal Adviser, Okechukwu Osuoha; and National Organizing Secretary, Umaru Bature for one month.
The suspension comes on the heels of the judgement of the Federal High Court On Friday, which stopped the party’s planned national convention.
The National Publicity Secretary of the party, Debo Ologunagba, told journalists in Abuja on Saturday, that the decision followed an emergency meeting of the national working committee, which was held in Abuja.
President Donald Trump of the United States on Friday designated Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC), in response to allegations of widespread persecution and genocide against Christians.
Writing on his Truth Social account, Trump stated that Christianity faces a serious threat in Nigeria.
The US leader also added Nigeria to a State Department watch list.
“Christianity is facing an existential threat in Nigeria. Thousands of Christians are being killed. Radical Islamists are responsible for this mass slaughter,” Trump wrote.
According to the US president, he was placing Nigeria, Africa’s top oil producer and most populous nation, on a “Countries of Particular Concern” list of nations the US deems to have engaged in religious freedom violations.
According to the State Department’s website, the list includes China, Myanmar, North Korea, Russia, and Pakistan, among others.
Trump said he had asked US Representatives Riley Moore and Tom Cole, as well as the House of Representatives Appropriations Committee, to look into the matter and report back to him.
A Federal High Court in Abuja has removed Hon. Abubakar Gummi from the House of Representatives after he left the Peoples Democratic Party for the All Progressives Congress.
The lawmaker represented the Gummi/Bukkuyum Federal Constituency in Zamfara State.
Justice Obiora Egwuatu delivered the ruling, holding that Gummi’s defection breached the Constitution.
The court said the seat does not belong to any politician but to the political party that sponsored the election.
According to the judgment, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, is barred from recognising Gummi “as a member representing Gummi/Bukkuyum Federal Constituency.”
The judge also instructed the Independent National Electoral Commission to “conduct a fresh election” for the vacant seat within 30 days.
The case was instituted by the PDP and its Zamfara chairman, who insisted that Gummi’s move to the APC had no legal justification. They argued that there was no division in the PDP to support his defection, as required by Section 68(1)(g) of the Constitution.
Gummi, through his counsel, claimed he left the PDP due to internal crises which he said made it “impossible” to serve his constituents effectively. The judge, however, dismissed his arguments and granted all the reliefs requested by the plaintiffs.
Justice Egwuatu, in a firm comment, warned politicians against what he described as reckless party hopping.
“Political prostitution must not be rewarded,” he declared, adding that lawmakers must not transfer votes won on one party’s platform to another party.
The court also ordered Gummi to refund all salaries and allowances received from October 30, 2024, until the date of judgment. He is also barred from earning any further benefits as a member of the House.
Additionally, the judge imposed a N500,000 cost against the defendants in favour of the PDP.
