Agbese challenges Kingibe to back fuel tax claim with law text
- Labour Party's Philip Agbese says the Nigeria Tax Act 2025 contains no fuel tax and no flat 25 per cent levy.
- He asked Senator Ireti Kingibe to cite the section she relied on or withdraw the claim publicly.
- Fact-checks say the 25 per cent rate applies only to yearly income above ₦50 million.
A Labour Party lawmaker, Philip Agbese, has publicly disputed Senator Ireti Kingibe's claims about Nigeria's new tax law, saying there is no fuel tax in it and no flat 25 per cent charge on everyone's earnings.
Agbese represents Ado/Okpokwu/Ogbadibo Federal Constituency and leads the Labour Party in Benue State. He spoke to journalists in Abuja on Thursday, 22 October.
Kingibe, who represents the Federal Capital Territory and belongs to the African Democratic Congress (ADC), had said the Nigeria Tax Act 2025 brings a fuel tax and a 25 per cent levy on earnings.
Agbese said that is not what the law says. According to him, the 25 per cent rate applies only to the part of a person's yearly income above ₦50 million. The first ₦800,000 of income, he said, is taxed at zero per cent.
He also rejected any suggestion that the law's implementation was pushed back until after the 2027 elections. The Act, he said, was passed by the National Assembly, gazetted and took effect on 1 January 2026.
What the law actually says
A fact-check reported alongside the dispute reached the same conclusion on the 25 per cent figure. It found that the Act sets progressive personal income tax rates, with 25 per cent applying only to yearly chargeable income above ₦50 million, while the first ₦800,000 is tax-free.
The law also provides exemptions for qualifying minimum-wage earners, according to the report. A tax expert, Okey Udo, said Kingibe's claim reflected either a misunderstanding of the law or a political motive.
Agbese said a sitting senator has access to the full text of the law and to legislative briefings, and should therefore be careful with what she tells the public.
"She should retract, apologise, and stop using the hardship of the people as a political ladder," he said.
He asked Kingibe to point to the exact section of the Act that creates a fuel tax or a uniform 25 per cent levy, or to withdraw the claim publicly.
Agbese also accused some opposition figures of using economic hardship to win political attention ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Why it matters for ordinary Nigerians
Tax talk touches every worker's take-home pay and every driver's fuel budget, so claims about new levies spread quickly. The difference between a flat 25 per cent cut and a rate that starts only above ₦50 million a year is the difference between a small salary shrinking and a high earner paying more.
Nigerians can check the Act themselves, and the argument between the two lawmakers is likely to continue as the 2027 campaigns draw closer.
