The Deputy spokesperson of the House of Representatives, Hon. Philip Agbese, has said that the interim report released by the Minority Caucus Ad-hoc Committee on alleged alterations in the Tax Reforms Acts had been overtaken by events.
LEADERSHIP reports that the minority caucus committee in its interim report released in Abuja on Friday said a comparison of the Certified True Copies (CTCs) made public by the House with the gazetted versions confirmed that there were alterations, particularly in the Nigeria Tax Administration Act, 2025.
But in an interview on Saturday, Agbese maintained that the leadership of the National Assembly had already taken decisive steps to address all concerns surrounding the discrepancies in the gazetted tax laws.
He said the House, under the leadership of Speaker 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.
The lawmaker said 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.
The Benue lawmaker 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.
The Deputy Spokesperson acknowledged the right of lawmakers to raise concerns in the interest of accountability but 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,” Agbese said.
He assured Nigerians that the House would continue to work with the Senate and relevant institutions to strengthen legislative processes and prevent a recurrence of such anomaly in the future.
