Daniel Bwala, special adviser on policy communication to President Bola Tinubu, has alleged that the president is being “blackmailed” over the proposed tax reform bills.

Speaking in an interview with Channels Television on Wednesday, Bwala said that the bills are under the purview of the national assembly and governors who have issues with the bill should speak with their federal lawmakers.
Bwala defended President Tinubu saying he is not in the legislative branch of government.

“The part I disagreed with him (Bauchi governor) is that he created the insinuation that the president does not listen.

“If a group of governors does not get the president to do their bidding, it does not mean he is not responding to Nigerians because the governors are 37 — including the FCT ministers — but Nigerians are over 200 million.

“I think that rather than scapegoating and blackmailing the president, the governors should talk to their lawmakers.

“It is a democracy. He has presented the bills to the national assembly. It is the national assembly that will deliberate and do what they need to do in the process of the passage.

“If a governor has a concern after having a conversation with the federal government, he should dialogue with national assembly members in his state to articulate his concerns in the national assembly. At the end of the day, it will come down to voting.

“I think a lot of people are blackmailing the president and I’m not particularly mentioning anybody. The president is not in the legislative branch of government.” He said

A proposed revision of the value-added tax (VAT) sharing formula has drawn opposition, especially from stakeholders in northern Nigeria.