Former Governor of Anambra State and Presidential candidate of Labour Party, Mr Peter Obi, has honoured the invitation of the Chief Tax Officer in Onitsha, Anambra State to present evidence that he has paid his tax for six years.
At the Onitsha Tax Office, instead of presenting evidence of tax payment of six years, he presented 20 years, showing the payment of N204 million.
Speaking during the visit, Obi, who described the invitation as “impressive,” said “it is important that citizens pay their taxes and that he was impressed with the way the Chief Tax Officer invited him.”
The Labour Party Presidential candidate said “this is how it should be done,” stressing that that “when people say you don’t have something, you present it, not to hire twenty SANs to defend you, or to keep quiet, or to blame someone else for your crimes.”
The full statement by his Media Aide said: “Former governor of Anambra state, H.E Mr. Peter Obi, was invited by the Chief Tax Officer in Onitsha to present evidence that he has paid his tax for six years.
“Peter Obi decided to honour the invitation himself. He came along with his aide and showed the Chief Tax Officer, Mrs Nwakpudolu Juliet, not his six years tax clearance certificate, but his twenty years tax clearance certificate showing that he has paid tax of N204m.
“He said that it is important that citizens pay their taxes and that he was impressed with the way the chief tax officer invited him. Impressive!
“This is how it should be done: When people say you don’t have something, you present it, not to hire twenty SANs to defend you, or to keep quiet, or to blame someone else for your crimes.
“If it were some people, they would have started alleging that some people want to witch-hunt them by demanding their tax certificate. Not H. E. Mr Peter Obi. To him, tax was something that ought to be paid.”