The House of Representatives has firmly rejected claims that the newly enacted tax laws were altered before receiving presidential assent, warning that such allegations are misleading and capable of eroding public trust in the legislature.
Reacting to assertions by Senator Ali Ndume (Borno South) that discrepancies existed between the tax bills passed by the National Assembly and the version signed into law by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the Deputy Spokesperson of the House, Hon. Philip Agbese, dismissed the claims as baseless.
Speaking during an interview on Sunday in Abuja, Agbese described the allegations as “sheer mischief,” insisting that the legislative process was transparent and strictly adhered to established procedures.
“It is sheer mischief to suggest that the tax laws were falsified,” Agbese said. “It is wrong for anyone to insinuate that the National Assembly engaged in legislative fraud. Both chambers remain committed to transparency, accountability, and due process.”
He explained that concerns raised about the tax legislation were already being handled through proper institutional channels, noting that the House had taken proactive steps by setting up a committee to review the issues.
According to him, suggestions of a deliberate cover-up were unfounded and risked creating unnecessary suspicion among Nigerians.
“The matter should not be politicised or sensationalised. Legislative review mechanisms exist to address genuine errors or ambiguities where they occur. Nigerians should not be misled into thinking that lawmakers are acting in bad faith,” he said.
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The clarification follows public criticism by Senator Ndume, who accused Senate President Godswill Akpabio of brushing aside concerns over alleged inconsistencies in the tax laws. Ndume had claimed during an appearance on Arise Television’s Prime Time that there were at least two versions of the gazetted tax law, alleging that the document signed by the President differed from what lawmakers approved.
The senator also stated that he had formally drawn the attention of Senate leadership to the issue, accusing the Senate President of failing to order an investigation into the alleged discrepancies.
However, Agbese countered that the leadership of both the House of Representatives and the Senate had already acted to clarify the matter by releasing the original bills to the public.
Addressing questions on the status of the House committee set up to review the tax legislation, the deputy spokesperson said the panel was yet to submit its report.
“The clarification made by both the Speaker of the House and the Senate President, wherein the original bills were released to the public, supersedes every other finding. To my knowledge, the committee’s report has not yet been submitted,” he said.
Agbese cautioned that speculative narratives surrounding the tax reforms could distract from broader efforts to modernise Nigeria’s tax system, urging stakeholders and the public to engage the issue based on verified facts rather than conjecture.
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