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From Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja
House of Representatives and the minority caucus have clashed over the report of an Ad-hoc Committee by the opposition lawmakers on alleged alterations of the tax reform acts.
This followed the interim report of the Minority caucus Ad-hoc Committee on Alleged alteration of the tax reforms act, which confirmed that the laws passed by the National Assembly, last year, was altered.
The House, in a statement, by chairman, Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Akin Rotimi, yesterday, dismissed the constitution of an Ad-hoc Committee by the minority caucus on alleged alterations of the tax reform laws “as procedurally improper, inconsistent with parliamentary norms.”
He noted that the action of the opposition lawmakers could set “an unwholesome precedent and create confusion on the polity, noting that the issues relating alleged alterations in tax laws had already been addressed through established parliamentary mechanisms.
Last December, Abdulsamad Dasuki, from Sokoto State, who spoke on matters of privilege, during plenary, raised the alarm on the floor of the House that gazetted copies of the bill, in circulation, was different from the version passed by the National Assembly.
Consequently, the Green chamber set up a seven-man panel chaired by the chairman, House Committee on Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Muktar Betara, to investigate the allegations and report back to it for further legislative actions.
The minority caucus also set up a seven-man panel headed by Afam Ogene to conduct a separate inquiry into the alleged alterations.
Subsequently, the House spokesman, in a statement, noted that the leadership has directed the Clerk of the National Assembly (CNA) to release the gazetted copies of the acts.
However, while the Betara panel is yet to submit its report, the minority caucus panel, in an interim report signed by Ogene last Friday stated that a comparison of the version of the acts passed by the parliament and the gazetted copies indicated that Sections 29(1), 41(8)(9), 64, 3(1)(b), 39(3) of the The Nigeria Tax Administration Act as well as Section 30(1) (d), & 30(3) of Nigerian Revenue Service (Establishment) Act were altered.
The report stated in part: “By comparing the Certified True Copies of the Acts released officially by the House of Representatives as directed by the Speaker with the already gazetted version already in circulation before the alarm was raised by the House, the Minority Caucus Ad-hoc Committee can confirm thus:
That there were some alterations as alleged by Hon. Dasuki on the floor of the House of Representatives, especially in the Nigeria Tax Administration Act, 2025. There were three different versions of the documents in circulation, particularly the Nigeria Tax Administration Act, 2025.”
Nevertheless, the deputy spokesman, Philip Agbese, told journalists, in Abuja, on Saturday, that the report of the minority caucus has been overtaken by events. He noted that the leadership of the National Assembly had already taken steps to address alleged discrepancies in the version of the laws passed by the National Assembly and the gazetted copies as well as the release of the CTC of the laws. Ogene, in a statement, yesterday, reacting to the deputy House spokesman, said downplaying the report of the minority panel would enable impunity. He noted that the report neither criticised the National Assembly nor impugn on the integrity of the legislative process.
“For context and clarity, the Minority Caucus Ad-hoc Committee’s interim report did not criticise the National Assembly’s work, impugn the integrity of its legislative processes, or implicate, in any way, the institution of culpability in the shocking alterations after the laws has been passed.
“Rather, the report’s factual content highlighted the concerning attempt by perpetrators of the illegal alterations to undermine the Legislature’s functional integrity and independence. This should be a concern for legislators who prioritise law-making in the public interest over transient political considerations.
“It should be noted that while the Minority Caucus of the House of Representatives established a Committee for an independent fact-finding exercise consistent with parliamentary best practices, the House leadership had earlier constituted another Committee, chaired by Muktar Aliyu Betara with a similar mandate to review the Tax Acts as passed by the House and the purported gazetted version, with the aim to identify discrepancies and verify the accuracy of the gazetted version.
“This raises the question: if, as Hon. Agbase claims, that the alleged alterations in the Tax Reforms Acts has been overtaken by events following the release of the Certified True Copies (CTCs), why is the Betara Committee still sitting and has not been dissolved by the House?
“However, the only clarity, I must say, is that the irrefutable findings of the Minority Caucus Ad-hoc Committee’s interim report reveal that external actors within government bureaucracy have flagrantly undermined the National Assembly’s constitutional authority to legislate, compromising the integrity of key legislative documents and causing embarrassment to the institution and the nation.”
Regardless, Rotimi stated that while the House recognises the role of the minority caucus and its right to express dissenting opinions amongst others, no caucus in the Green chamber has the authority to “establish a committee that carries the status of a parliamentary body.”
“Political caucuses remain important platforms for consultation and coordination among Members. However, they do not possess institutional authority within the House and do not possess investigative authority, oversight jurisdiction, or the power to summon persons or demand official documents.
“Any action taken by a caucus in this regard is therefore non-binding, informal, and without legal or institutional consequence. Any committee constituted outside the processes prescribed by the Standing Orders lacks institutional recognition.
“Accordingly, any interim or final report emanating from such a caucus-led body cannot be laid before the House, cannot be received as a parliamentary document, and does not form part of the official legislative or oversight record of the National Assembly.
“The House further considers the action attributed to the Minority Caucus to be procedurally improper, inconsistent with parliamentary norms, liable to set an unwholesome precedent, and to create unnecessary public confusion, particularly since the matter has already been addressed through established parliamentary mechanisms.”
The spokesman explained that “in December 2025, the House of Representatives duly constituted a bipartisan ad hoc committee following the intervention of an opposition honourable member who formally drew the attention of the House to the existence of multiple documents purporting to be official gazettes of the tax legislation.
“The mandate of that committee, which comprises honourable members from both the ruling and opposition parties, is specifically to examine those allegations.That committee was constituted by the House in line with the Standing Orders, remains in force, and continues to discharge its assignment. Upon the conclusion of its work, it will lay its report before the House in plenary.
“Subsequently, the National Assembly, acting jointly through both Chambers, published the official Gazette of the National Assembly and issued Certified True Copies of the enacted tax laws. The legislative process has therefore been concluded and given full legal effect.
“The National Assembly has also formally disowned and debunked any unofficial documents in circulation, reiterating that only the gazetted versions and duly certified copies issued by the National Assembly constitute authentic legislative instruments.
“In this context, the establishment of a parallel caucus-led committee and the circulation of purported interim findings serve only to compound public misunderstanding on an issue that has been institutionally resolved and overtaken by events.”
