By Chinenye Onwusonye
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has launched a scathing attack on the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, accusing it of presiding over what it described as the “normalisation of absurdity” in governance, with serious implications for legislative integrity, national security and Nigeria’s international standing.
In a press statement signed by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Comrade Ini Ememobong, on the 18 December 2025, the PDP said recent developments under the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led government had raised grave concerns that could no longer be ignored by Nigerians.
According to the statement, the opposition party drew attention to what it described as a troubling disparity between the Tax Act enacted by the National Assembly and the version later gazetted. Citing concerns raised by a member of the House of Representatives, Hon. Abdussamad Dasuki, the PDP said the alleged insertions and substitutions in the gazetted copy amounted to a serious breach of legislative process that must be thoroughly investigated.
According to the PDP, the matter should not be treated with levity, warning that inserting unenacted provisions into law could erode public confidence in parliament and undermine democracy. The party demanded that the commencement date of the Tax Act, scheduled for January 1, 2026, be shifted by at least six months to allow for investigations, proper publication of the authentic enacted version and adequate public sensitisation.
The party also accused the federal government of presiding over a steady decline in Nigeria’s regional and global influence, pointing to the reported detention of Nigerian Air Force aircraft and personnel in Burkina Faso and the recent announcement of stricter United States visa restrictions on Nigerians. The PDP claimed the new visa regime was linked to rising insecurity and the government’s inability to effectively address security challenges, particularly in the northern part of the country.
Describing the situation as unprecedented, the PDP argued that Nigeria’s global standing had fallen to its lowest point, even compared to periods of military rule. It further cited the Global Firepower Report 2024, which ranked Nigeria 39th, down from 36th in 2023, as evidence of a decline in the country’s military capacity.
The opposition party also criticised President Tinubu’s absence from the 68th Ordinary Heads of State and Government Meeting of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), which was held in Abuja to deliberate on insecurity and political instability in the sub-region. While acknowledging the President’s right to delegate, the PDP said his absence, followed by attendance at a political event the next day, sent a negative signal about Nigeria’s commitment to regional leadership.
In its concluding remarks, the PDP urged the Tinubu administration to prioritise governance over politics, calling for increased investment in security, education, healthcare and infrastructure rather than what it described as premature political mobilisation ahead of the 2027 elections.
The party warned that legislative credibility, international respect and regional leadership were national imperatives, not partisan issues, and stressed that Nigerians deserved transparent governance, evidence-based policies and urgent action to address the country’s mounting challenges.
