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 late and unnecessary, saying the concerns raised had already been resolved.
Agbese spoke to journalists in Abuja on Saturday, shortly after the Clerk to the National Assembly released the Certified True Copies (CTCs) of the tax reform Acts to the public.
Earlier, the minority caucus committee, chaired by the lawmaker representing Ogbaru Federal Constituency in Anambra State, Mr Afam Ogene, had alleged that discrepancies existed between the tax laws passed by the National Assembly and the versions later gazetted. The committee claimed that changes were particularly noticeable in the Nigeria Tax Administration Act, 2025, and alleged that multiple versions of the Act were in circulation.
The committee also raised concerns over a directive to “align” the Acts with the Federal Government Printing Press, which it said suggested procedural lapses in the legislative process.
However, Agbese said the leadership of the National Assembly had already acted decisively to address the matter before the minority caucus released its report. He explained that the Speaker of the House, Tajudeen Abbas, 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.
According to him, the release of the Certified True Copies has now put the issue to rest.
“The concerns about discrepancies in the tax laws have been fully addressed by the House leadership. With the release of the Certified True Copies, there is now clear confirmation of what was passed by the National Assembly and signed into law,” Agbese said.
He added that the Speaker also ordered an internal verification exercise to ensure that only the duly passed and authenticated versions of the laws are in circulation, stressing that this reflects the House’s commitment to transparency, due process and democratic accountability.
Agbese noted that the joint actions taken by the leadership of both chambers of the National Assembly showed a united determination to protect the integrity and constitutional role of the legislature.
Concerns about the tax reform laws had surfaced shortly after the Acts were gazetted, prompting questions from lawmakers and civil society groups over possible differences between the versions debated and passed by the National Assembly and those published by the government printer. This led to the formation of ad-hoc committees by both the House and minority caucuses to review the documents.
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While acknowledging the right of lawmakers to raise concerns in the interest of accountability, Agbese maintained that the steps already taken by the House leadership had effectively resolved the issue.
“The House acted promptly and responsibly. The leadership did not wait for public pressure before intervening. The release of the Certified Acts has settled the matter and ensured that Nigerians rely only on the correct and lawful versions of the tax reform laws,” he said.
