Governance in 2026 Should Not Be Sacrificed for the 2027 General Elections, CACOBAG Warns

COALITION AGAINST CORRUPTION AND BAD GOVERNANCE CACOBAG

13th January, 2026.

Gentle men of the press, in our friends in the legal profession, Defenders of the People, Anti Corruption Crusaders , Comrades, ladies and gentlemen. Solidarity greetings .

We specially thank our friends in the media for collaborating with us to truly fight doldrum of economic instability , massive corruption, bad governance and anti people policies millitating against the greatness of Nigeria. It’s not a co incindence that the media has a very vital role to play to rescue Nigeria from the gulag of mess and brigandage of Nigerian leaders. Besides the Legal Profession, journalism also has a special mention in the Constitution of Federal Republic of Nigeria as altered to bring normalcy to governance in Nigeria. We thank the media for playing their constitutional role.

Today s Press Conference is mainly on three issues, these are :

*President Tinubu s tax reform. Act of brigandage or An Act of the National Assembly against the common man?
*Where is the missing N28billion naira in the power sector? Minister of Power, Mr Adelabu, must explain.
*2027 General elections and Year 2026 Governance in Nigeria .

A new dimension to press conference in Nigeria is introduced by CACOBAG today , in the sense that the Press text shall be taken by two leaders of the organization starting with the Chairman and also to be rounded by the chairman. The importance and special attention required by this conference necessitates this dimension as being the position of all members of the organisation and affiliates all over the world.

Text of CACOBAG Press conference.

IMPLEMENTATION OF NEW TAX LAW BY PRESIDENT TINUBU IS AN ACT OF BRIGANDAGE AGAINST THE PEOPLE.

President Tinubu s tax is reform is ill conceived and deceit to further further impoverish Nigerians. It’s a triple burden on the masses.

We at CACOBAG are disturbed that the present government of President Bola Tinubu whose agenda for the country is captured with what he refers to as
“renewed hope” is indeed a deceit ,it’s actually the opposite, making the masses hopeless.

We at CACOBAG express our deep concern and opposition to the enacted tax reform laws, due to lack of transparency, inadequate public consultation, and potential harm to the Nigerian economy.

The laws were rushed through the National Assembly with many ulterior motives behind the reforms.

Beyond the negative or positive effects of the new tax regime. On which law is it based?
The Act signed into law by the president and gazetted is totally different from what was passed by the National Assembly and the president is in a hurry to implement it against public outcry.

If the President refuses to allow wise counsel to prevail, we shall have no option than to head to the court of law to stop it’s implementation.

No building can solidly stand on a faulty foundation . A forged or doctored Act can not be forced on Nigerians. It’s unacceptable.

THE NEW TAX IS AGAINST THE MASSES TO SUPPORT PROFLIGACY AND HEDONISTIC TENDENCIES OF UNSCRUPULOUS POLITICAL OFFICE HOLDERS AND THEIR AGENTS.

Why should the
President insists its implementation must start on January 1, 2026?

The new tax laws are for capital accumulation, at the heart of which is the exploitation of the masses .
Pa Vintage Awo was unambiguous when he says , “…… .it’s a disaster for politicians to deceive the electorate”.
No progressive and pro people government derives joy in inflicting pain and pang on the masses.
It’s amazing Nigerian state deceives and lies through its teeth to give illusion that the new tax will not negatively have impact on the poor , the traders, hewers of wood, ,hawkers, cart pushers, low income earners and the working class as a whole are going to be affected adversely.
The wrong impression or deliberate deceit by the government that
minimum wage earners will not pay taxes is a ruse.Threshold for not paying taxes at all which is N67,000 per month is insignificant. Can one person not to talk of a family lives on N67,000.00 per month?

The rich are to made richer and the poor poorer.
Effects of inconsiderate removal of the so called fuel subsidy is still biting hard on Nigerians and over 144 million Nigerians are said to be very poor presently. This figure does not include those who are able to eat ” two bent meals” in a day. What does this denote?
The World bank has also alerted, more Nigerians may go down into poverty . What does this portend for the masses?
It’s a patriotic duty incumbent on us as a people to rescue the country.

How could the President and his allies be telling Nigerians the economy is growing and be rendering cosmetic approaches to polish poverty? Making the people to wallow in abject poverty through bad governance, bad policies and massive corruption must stop.
George O Sylvester states, ” When a nation ‘s growth rises on paper but it’s people sink in hunger, that is not progress. It’s polished poverty wearing a mask of statistics”.
To understand this Tinubu s tax regime better, you need to look at the evolution of the country’s taxation of corporations since independence. In 1960, this was forty percent. It rose to about 45 percent in the 1970s. And then even during the earlier part of the neoliberal era with the introduction of the structural adjustment programme, it was 35 percent. We are now talking of 30 percent and even those with an annual turnover of between N25million and N100 million paying as low. So, Tinubu s tax is to make capitalists to grow their capital on one hand, and broadening the tax net to capture more poor masses. We must not be deceived. They do not mean well for the masses with these laws. They have never done so and they will never do so. A government that priortises profit over the well being of Nigerians , without mincing word , is definitely not a progressive government.

We at CACOBAG demand an immediate supension of the implementation of these laws pending a thorough review and public consultation. The Nigerian people deserve a tax system that is fair, transparent, and accountable.
No to a tax regime based on a fake and falsified law.

We call on the National Assembly to conduct a public inquiry into the allegations of alterations and discrepancies in the gazetted tax laws. The people of Nigeria will not be silled into accepting laws that are detrimental to their well-being.
There is the likelihood of criminal conspiracy among some people in the National Assembly and Presidency or why has the actual law passed by the National Assembly is still not on the National Assembly website?.

To mention but a few grounds why this tax regime must be opposed and rejected.

– *Capital Gains Tax (CGT) Increase*: The new law increases CGT from 10% to 30% for companies, which will discourage investment and hurt businesses.
– *VAT on Luxury Goods*: The introduction of VAT on luxury goods may disproportionately affect high-income individuals.
– *Development Levy*: The 4% development levy on companies’ assessable profits will add to the tax burden on businesses.
– *Taxation of Digital Assets*: The taxation of digital assets and virtual currencies has potential adverse impact on the growing digital economy.

For CACOBAG, Legal minds and indeed all Nigerians to trust in the authenticity of the laws as signed by President Tinubu namely :

Nigeria Tax Act (NTA),

Tax Administration Act

(NTAA), Nigeria Revenue Service Act (NRSA),

and Joint Revenue Board Act (JRBA) will require clarification by the National Assembly.

128 BILLION NAIRA MISSING IN THE POWER SECTOR

Section 15(5) of the Nigerian Constitution as altered states: “The State shall abolish all corrupt practices and abuse of power.”

The EFCC Act (2004) establishes the commission and gives it powers to investigate and prosecute financial crimes, including corruption.They are to
– Investigate financial crimes ; money laundering and embezzlement
– Prosecute offenders
– Recover stolen and illicit assets.

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) Act (2000) establishes the ICPC to combat corruption in Nigeria.
They are to also:

– Investigate and prosecute corruption cases
– Recover assets acquired through corruption

They are to focus on graft, bribery, and other corruption-related offences.

We also have The Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) to tackle financial crimes, including fraud.

NFIU is expected to
– Receive and analyze financial reports
– Share intelligence with law enforcement
– Combat money laundering and terrorism financing.
With these provision of constitution and the law enforcement agencies , the government is expected to tackle corruption headlong but unfortunately, corruption and acts of corruption are getting worst. The reason being several corrupt elements that have deluge of petitions against them for corruption are at the helm of affairs. What a country !

Stolen fund recovered are also re looted ,nobody could specifically mention for now, the whereabout of recoverd Abacha loot or how it was expended for masses’ well being.
The malamis in Nigeria are the people in charge of our affairs ..How do we grow as a country and as a people?
Looting of our treasury that has become a norm among corrupt elements in power is a main reason why people are sceptical about Tinubu s tax that he ordered it’s implementation to begin without an authentic legal framework? Is it not going to be looted or used to oil frivolities of few people in government?
Several anti Corruption groups are already raising their voice to call the government to order on the $9.5 million , that is 7 million pounds UK’s Jersey government is set to return to the country , which was looted by the late junta Sanni Abacha.

We at CACOBAG call on the government that nothing must shrouded in secrecy about this money. Everything about it must be made public and used judiciously in the interest of the masses and not re looted.
Without any deliberate mistake , Jersey has returned up to $300 million (£230 million) in recovered assets to Nigeria. The effect is not felt by Nigerians. Therefore, we at CACOBAG and all International organisations , HEDA, SERAP, CHRICED , UAD , CCHR, CPD, CDHR and Gani Fawehinmi Movement for a New Nigeria GFMNN shall monitor the $9.5 adequately and properly to ensure its used for the people. EFCC , NFIU and ICPC must also be involved in the monitoring.They should not wait till when it’s relooted. Every Nigerian must also monitor.

“As Citizens, we all have an obligation to intervene and become involved. It’s the citizen who changes things”-
Jose Saramango.

This brings us to the missing ₦128 billion in the power sector which is giving us a serious concern. Massive corruption in the power sector is a major reason Nigerians are having erratic power supply and the reason the poor working class are paying more to electricity distribution companies for providing darkness. Therefore, the issue should not be taken lightly or treated with levity by anti Corruption agencies. It falls into the duties of both ICPC and EFCC.
We at CACOBAG call on the anti Corruption agencies to begin immediate investigation on the alleged misappropriation of these funds from the Federal Ministry of Power and the Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading Plc (NBET).
The following funds are alleged to be missing.

– ₦4.4 billion transferred to project accounts without evidence of expenditure
– ₦95.4 billion paid to contractors without documentation or proof of project execution
– ₦33.5 million spent on foreign travel without approval
– Irregular contract awards and unexplained transfers at NBET.

The anti-corruption agencies as an independent agencies should begin immediate investigation towards recovering the said looted fund and bring perpetrators to book. No order of the president or a minister is required to perform their duties.

The excuse being given by Mr Adebayo Adelabu the minister for power that the said corruption predates it’s tenure in office is not acceptable.
Is the minister saying he does not know what he inherited from it’s predecessor? Why did he not raise alarm ?
Anti corruption agencies should perform their duties effectively and report to Nigerians .

If the investigation does not commence in the next twenty one days, we shall have no option than to proceed to the court of law to seek an order of mandamus to force the agencies to do their duty .

GOVERNANCE IN 2026 AND 2027 GENERAL ELECTIONS.

It’s frustrating and saddening that political office holders are abandoning governance and now focussing on re election or how to ensure their stooges/ puppets suceeed them.

The conventional politicians need to be reminded they were put in office, employed to be in office , by their employers , the electorate,for four years.
It’s the electorate , their employers, that can decide either to extend their employment or not through at least a satisfactory performance.

It’s worrisome that actions of elected political office holders show what they are after now is to return to office by any way,be it legitimate or crook means .

Desperation to return to office shows their interest in the office is for the peck and benefits derivable from the office and not interest to serve.

Any looting or act of corruption by any political office holder shall be be taken seriously and masses shall be sensitized to ignore ,shun ,shame and reject such political office holder.
As a national non political organisation, it will not be tolerated ,that governance in 2026 shall be sacrificed for 2027 general elections.

No where in the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria as altered or our extant books including electoral act that makes it mandatory for anyone to be in power for two consecutive terms. A clueless, anti people and corrupt political office holders shall be shunned in 2027.

It’s therefore not too late for those seeking re election to focus on good governance, shun corruption by being frugal, prudent and transparent.

Any politician who thinks he or she could get to power through violence , votes buying, tribal affiliation or religion sentiment, brigandage , thuggery ,votes manipulation , unconstitutional zoning and even political affiliation should have a re think.
Nigerians are now more interested in competence , merit and ability to take Nigeria out of doldrums of economic instability, insecurity and unemployment .They want a government that will comply totally with section 14 ( 2 ) (b) of 1999 CFRN , ” Security and welfare of the people shall be the primary aim of the government.A government that will truly fight Corruption through actions and inactions.

Nigerians are not gullible to fall for whims and caprices of anti people and thieving politicians in 2027.

Nigerians are no longer interested in motion without movement and “oratocracy ” , government by speech making. Time , energy and resources expended on addressing audiences are more than real governance .. Showmanship appears to be their trait with irresistible urge to impress and show everyone around the power and authority vested in the office they are holding . Talk without visible positive action . So, Nigerians shall defile all odds to have genuine and pro people leaders who listen to their yearning in 2027 and not those whose style of governance is propaganda and oratoracy.

No political office holder ,regardless of the position he or she holds should think it can be business as usual in 2027 or Nigerians can be held to ransom.

CACOBAG warns.

Thank you for listening.
With you , we shall make Nigeria a corruption free country.

Signed
Toyin Raheem
Chairman CACOBAG
08023407814.