Who Changed The Law?’ Reps Set Up Panel Over Controversial Tax Gazettes

The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, on Thursday set up a seven-member ad hoc committee to probe claims of inconsistencies between tax bills approved by the National Assembly and the versions later signed into law and published.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

The move followed a Point of Privilege raised by Abdulsammad Dasuki, a lawmaker from Sokoto State, who alleged that the tax laws released to the public were at variance with what lawmakers debated and passed.

The committee will be chaired by the Chairman of the House Committee on Appropriations, Muktar Aliyu Betara. Its members include former Deputy Speaker Ahmed Idris Wase, Sada Soli, James Abiodun Faleke, Fred Agbedi, Babajimi Benson and Iduma Igariwey.

Its mandate is to review the legislative process leading to the gazetting of the tax laws and to establish whether the final documents differ from those approved by both chambers of the National Assembly.

Raising the issue on Wednesday under Order Six, Rule Two of the House Rules, Dasuki told the House that his legislative privilege had been violated. He maintained that the contents of the gazetted tax laws were materially different from what lawmakers voted for.

He said he spent three days comparing the gazetted copies with the Votes and Proceedings of the House of Representatives, as well as the harmonised versions adopted by both chambers, and uncovered discrepancies.

“I was present, I cast my vote, and it was counted, yet what I am seeing now is entirely different,” Dasuki said.

He added that copies obtained from the Ministry of Information did not align with the versions approved by the House and the Senate.

Dasuki emphasised that his intervention was not a motion but a call to alert the House to what he described as a serious breach of legislative procedure and constitutional provisions. He urged the Speaker to ensure that all relevant documents — including the harmonised bills, Votes and Proceedings of both chambers, and the gazetted versions in circulation — are presented before the Committee of the Whole for examination by all lawmakers.

He warned that allowing laws different from those duly passed by the National Assembly to be circulated would erode the credibility of the legislature.

“Mr Speaker, I appeal that all the documents be laid before the Committee of the Whole so members can compare what was gazetted with what was passed on the floor and make the necessary corrections. This is a breach of the Constitution and our laws, and it should not be treated lightly,” he said.

In response, Speaker Abbas acknowledged the Point of Privilege and assured members that steps would be taken to address the matter. The ad hoc committee is expected to clarify the controversy and protect the integrity of the legislative process.

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