By GiftChapi Odekina
Abuja -The Minority Caucus of the House of Representatives has called for the immediate suspension of the implementation ofthe recently enacted tax reform laws, amid allegations that the statutes were unlawfully altered after passage by the National Assembly and assent by President Bola Tinubu.
In a statement, yesterday by Minority Leader, Mr. Kingsley Chinda, alongside other principal officers of the caucus, the opposition lawmakers expressed “great consternation and overwhelming disappointment” over the controversy trailing the tax reforms, warning that the allegations strike at the heart of Nigeria’s legislative integrity and democratic order.
Noting that disagreements often trail major reforms, the caucus said the present situation goes beyond routine policy debate, as it involves claims that the laws were fraudulently altered, gazetted, and circulated to the public in a form different from what was passed by both chambers of the National Assembly and duly signed by the President.
The Minority Caucus recalled that the matter was formally raised on the floor of the House by a member during a recent plenary session, prompting the inauguration of a high-powered investigative committee to probe the allegations.
The caucus said: “We want to assure Nigerians that the Minority Caucus of the House of Representatives will stand with the entire House to see that the circumstances surrounding this illegality are exposed and the culprits brought to book in the interest of justice for all Nigerians. National Assembly remains the lawful custodian of all Acts passed into law.”
According to the lawmakers, the procedure for gazetting laws begins with the Clerk to the National Assembly transmitting the authentic, duly certified copies to the appropriate federal agency responsible for official publication.
“Any version of the tax laws circulating without the signatures of the Clerk to the National Assembly and the President cannot be regarded as authentic or reflective of the legislature’s intent.
The Minority Caucus, therefore, urged Nigerians, businesses, and other stakeholders to disregard any purported tax laws that lack proper certification, warning that attempts to impose such documents on the public amount to an assault on the constitutional role and independence of the National Assembly.
“Any attempt to foist fake laws on Nigerians is an attack on the independence and constitutional role of the National Assembly in safeguarding our democracy. We will unconditionally defend the legislature and democratic governance.”
In light of the uncertainty, the caucus called on the executive to suspend the implementation of the tax reform laws until investigations were concluded and there is “clarity and certainty” regarding the correct versions of the statutes to be enforced.
The lawmakers also emphasised that Nigerians and the business community are entitled to access the exact laws they are expected to comply with, warning that legal ambiguity could undermine public confidence, disrupt economic planning, and expose citizens and investors to arbitrary enforcement.
The statement was jointly signed by Kingsley Chinda (Minority Leader), Ali Isa J. (Minority Whip), Aliyu Madaki (Deputy Minority Leader), and George Ozodinobi (Deputy Minority Whip).
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