The Deputy Spokesman of the House of Representatives, Mr Philip Agbese, has described the interim report by the minority caucus ad-hoc committee on alleged alterations in the tax reform laws as belated, saying the issues raised had already been overtaken by events.
Agbese spoke with journalists in Abuja on Saturday, following the public release of the Certified True Copies of the tax reform Acts by the Clerk to the National Assembly.
The minority caucus committee, chaired by the lawmaker representing Ogbaru Federal Constituency of Anambra State, Mr Afam Ogene, had earlier alleged that discrepancies existed between the versions of the tax laws passed by the National Assembly and the gazetted copies made available to the public.
According to the committee, a comparison of the CTCs released by the House with earlier gazetted versions showed that alterations were made, particularly to the Nigeria Tax Administration Act, 2025.
The committee further claimed that at least three different versions of the Nigeria Tax Administration Act were in circulation, and that a directive to “align” the Acts with the Federal Government Printing Press pointed to procedural anomalies within the legislative process.
However, Agbese said the leadership of the National Assembly had already taken decisive steps to resolve the matter before the release of the minority caucus report. He noted that the Speaker of the House, Tajudeen Abbas, working in collaboration with the President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio, ensured the release of the authentic versions of the four tax reform Acts as passed by the National Assembly and assented to by President Bola Tinubu.
“The concerns raised regarding discrepancies in the tax laws have already been comprehensively addressed by the House leadership. With the release of the Certified True Copies of the Acts, there is now clarity as to what was passed by the National Assembly and signed into law,” Agbese said.
He explained that the Speaker had also ordered an internal verification process to confirm that only the authentic and duly passed versions of the laws were in circulation. According to him, this step underscored the commitment of the House to transparency, due process and the protection of democratic institutions.
Agbese added that the joint actions taken by the leadership of both chambers of the National Assembly demonstrated a united resolve to safeguard the legislature’s constitutional role and prevent any erosion of its law-making authority.
The concerns over the integrity of the tax reform laws emerged shortly after the Acts were gazetted, with lawmakers and civil society groups raising questions about differences between the versions debated and passed on the floor of the National Assembly and those published by the government printer.
These concerns prompted the House and minority caucuses to set up ad-hoc committees to review the documents and establish whether post-passage alterations had occurred.
While acknowledging the right of lawmakers to raise concerns in the interest of accountability, the Deputy Spokesman maintained that the corrective measures already taken by the House leadership had effectively resolved the issue.
“The House has acted swiftly and responsibly. The leadership did not wait for public pressure to mount before taking action. The release of the Certified Acts has settled the matter and ensured that Nigerians are guided only by the correct and lawful versions of the tax reforms,” he said.
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