By Kwekwu Thomas l Monday, Oct. 19, 2026
ABUJA — The Senator representing the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) under the platform of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Senator Ireti Kingibe, has warned that a tax law passed by the Senate will force Nigerians to pay up to 25 per cent of their earnings in taxes if President Bola Ahmed Tinubu secures a second term in 2027.
Speaking on current economic developments and the political outlook ahead of the 2027 general elections, the lawmaker urged opposition political parties to immediately step up grassroots engagements to sensitize citizens to the harsh implications of the government’s economic policies.
According to Senator Kingibe, the National Assembly has already enacted tax legislation whose full implementation will take effect after the 2027 general elections, imposing a heavier financial burden on the populace.
She emphasized that the opposition must unite to take this message directly to the grassroots, speaking to citizens in their local languages to make them understand how the combined impact of the tax law and the removal of electricity subsidies will further deepen economic hardship across the country.
”The opposition must go everywhere and tell the people, in their own language, how this tax and the electricity subsidy removal will worsen their hardship,” she declared.
Senator Ireti Kingibe, who won the FCT Senatorial seat in the 2023 elections under the Labour Party (LP) before defecting to the African Democratic Congress (ADC), has remained one of the vocal opposition voices in the 10th Senate.
Her reaction comes amid ongoing public debates over the tax reform bills proposed by the Federal Government. While government officials and federal tax reform committees maintain that the new fiscal framework is designed to streamline tax collection, protect low-income earners, and boost revenue efficiency, opposition leaders argue that the reforms contain provisions that will significantly squeeze middle-class and high-earning individuals without adequate social cushions.
The federal government’s removal of electricity subsidies and petrol subsidies has triggered a steep rise in the cost of living, inflation, and business operating costs nationwide.
As political parties begin early consultations and strategy sessions ahead of the 2027 general elections, economic policies—particularly tax legislation, energy pricing, and subsidy removals—are taking center stage in campaign narratives, with opposition figures positioning these fiscal measures as primary grounds to rally voter support.
