By Joe Udo
ABUJA (CONVERSEER) – There was uproar in the House of Representatives on Wednesday as a group of lawmakers alleged that key provisions of the tax reform laws signed by President Bola Tinubu were altered after they were passed by the National Assembly.
The lawmakers warned that if the allegations are proven, the affected tax laws could be rendered null and void for lacking the required statutory legislative approval.
Raising the matter during plenary, Rep Abdussamad Dasuki (Sokoto) said discrepancies were discovered between the harmonised versions of the bills approved by both chambers and the copies later gazetted and circulated by the Federal Government.
According to Dasuki, the alleged alterations amount to a constitutional breach and make the laws, as assented to by the President, incapable of lawful implementation.
“My rights as a lawmaker have been breached. What was passed on this floor is not what is Gazetted. I was here, I voted, and my vote was counted. But what Nigerians are seeing and what is being sold to them is completely different from what we passed,” he said.
A report jointly prepared by the aggrieved lawmakers and made available to journalists stated that the changes could not be dismissed as clerical or editorial errors.
The report alleged that some substantive provisions were inserted, deleted, or modified after the bills were passed by both chambers of the National Assembly.
It further claimed that several oversight, accountability and reporting mechanisms approved by lawmakers were removed from the final versions of the laws.
The report also alleged that new “coercive and fiscal powers,” including powers of arrest, garnishment without court orders, compulsory dollar-based computation, and appeal security deposits, were introduced without legislative approval.
The legislators cited Sections 4 and 58 of the 1999 Constitution, which vest law-making powers exclusively in the National Assembly, insisting that the executive has no authority to alter bills after passage.
“Any post-passage alteration is ultra vires, unconstitutional and void to the extent of the alteration,” the report stated.
The lawmakers warned that the disputed provisions could be struck down by the courts, potentially creating legal uncertainty, fiscal instability and loss of investor confidence.
According to the report, its findings were based on forensic comparisons of votes and proceedings, Clerk-certified bills, final Acts, independent legal opinions, and section-by-section analyses of the tax laws.
The affected legislations include the Nigeria Tax Administration Act, the Nigeria Revenue Service Act, and amendments to the Joint Revenue Board framework.
Among their recommendations were an immediate legislative review of the affected provisions, rectification or re-enactment through proper parliamentary procedures, and the summoning of officials allegedly responsible for the alterations under Sections 88 and 89 of the Constitution.
Dasuki urged the House leadership to present all relevant documents before the Committee of the Whole to allow members to examine the versions originally passed by the National Assembly.
“This is a breach of the Constitution and our laws, and it should not be taken lightly by this House,” he said.
Responding, Speaker of the House, Tajudeen Abbas, assured members that the leadership would examine the allegations and take appropriate steps in the national interest.
READ ALSO: FCMB Pensions targets N1.2tn AUM by end of 2025
Meanwhile, a movement comprising opposition figures, labour leaders, civil society actors and professionals also criticised the tax reforms during a media conference in Abuja.
Speaking for the group, Mr Chille Igbawua warned the Tinubu administration against turning Nigeria into a “tax farm,” arguing that the reforms lack explicit social protection guarantees.
The group advocated a shift towards taxing luxury consumption, excess profits, monopolies, corruption and poverty, rather than increasing pressure on ordinary Nigerians.
“Nigeria does not suffer from low taxation. Nigeria suffers from waste, corruption, mismanagement and policy arrogance. You do not fix government failure by billing the victims,” the group stated.
The movement vowed to resist any policy it believes punishes workers, traders, professionals and small businesses, warning that forcing the tax reforms without consultation could trigger serious social and economic consequences.
President Tinubu had signed four tax reform bills into law in June 2025, aimed at overhauling Nigeria’s tax system to improve efficiency and reduce the burden on individuals and small businesses.
The laws include the Nigeria Tax Act, the Nigeria Tax Administration Act, the Nigeria Revenue Service (Establishment) Act, and the Joint Revenue Board (Establishment) Act.
Members of the movement include Dr Salihu Lukman, Solomon Dalung, CID Maduabum, Aisha Yesufu, Bishop Ike Okoronkwo and Kenneth Okwonkwo, among others.
