By Gift ChapiOdekina, Abuja
The Deputy spokesperson of the House of Representatives, Hon. Philip Agbese has said that the interim report issued by the Minority Caucus Ad-hoc Committee on alleged alterations in the Tax Reforms Acts has been overtaken by events, following the release of the Certified True Copies (CTCs) of the laws.
According to the committee’s preliminary findings, a comparison of the Certified True Copies released by the House with the earlier gazetted versions confirmed that alterations had indeed been made, particularly to the Nigeria Tax Administration Act, 2025.
The report revealed that at least three different versions of the Nigeria Tax Administration Act were in circulation, while the directive to “align” the Acts with the Federal Government Printing Press pointed to “procedural anomalies” that illegally encroached on the legislative powers of the National Assembly.
Agbese in an interview on Saturday while reacting to the report, argued that the leadership of the National Assembly had already taken decisive steps to address all concerns surrounding the discrepancies in the gazetted tax laws.
Agbese said the House, under the leadership of the Speaker, Hon. Abbas Tajudeen, in collaboration with the President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio, had ensured the public release of the authentic versions of the four tax reform Acts as passed by the National Assembly and assented to by the President.
According to him, the release of the Certified True Copies effectively resolved the issues raised over alleged alterations, restored public confidence and reaffirmed the independence and authority of the legislature.
“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 noted that the Speaker had also directed an internal verification process to ensure that only the authentic versions of the laws were in circulation, stressing that this action demonstrated the commitment of the House to transparency, due process and the protection of democratic institutions.
Agbese added that the proactive steps taken jointly by the leadership of both chambers of the National Assembly showed that the legislature was united in safeguarding its constitutional role and preventing any erosion of its law-making powers.
While acknowledging the right of lawmakers to raise concerns in the interest of accountability, the Deputy Spokesperson maintained that the corrective measures already implemented made further controversy unnecessary.
“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.
Agbese assured Nigerians that the House of Representatives would continue to work with the Senate and relevant institutions to strengthen legislative processes and prevent a recurrence of such issues in the future.
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