Amid rising public outcry over alleged post-passage alterations, the National Assembly has ordered the re-gazetting of four major tax reform laws, insisting the move is strictly administrative in order to protect the integrity of the legislative process.
In a statement issued Friday, the House of Representatives spokesman, Akin Rotimi, announced that the leadership of both chambers had directed the Clerk to the National Assembly to re-gazette the affected laws and issue Certified True Copies (CTCs) of the versions “duly passed by both chambers of the National Assembly.”
The directive follows intense public scrutiny surrounding the passage, presidential assent and publication in the Federal Government’s Official Gazette of the Nigeria Tax Act, 2025; Nigeria Tax Administration Act, 2025; Joint Revenue Board of Nigeria (Establishment) Act, 2025; and the Nigeria Revenue Service (Establishment) Act, 2025.
According to the House, the controversy centres on “the harmonisation of Bills passed by the Senate and the House of Representatives, the documentation transmitted for Presidential assent, and the versions of the Acts subsequently published in the Official Gazette.”
Rotimi said the legislature is firmly in control of the situation.
“The House of Representatives wishes to assure the public that these matters are being addressed strictly within the constitutional and statutory remit of the National Assembly,” he said.
He revealed that the House had already constituted a seven-man Ad Hoc Committee after the issue was raised through a Point of Order on the floor.
“The Ad Hoc Committee, alongside other relevant Committees of the National Assembly, working in collaboration with the management of the National Assembly, is undertaking an institutional review to establish the sequence of events and to identify any factors that may have contributed to the circumstances surrounding the legislative and administrative handling of the Acts,” the statement said.
Rotimi added that the probe would involve “a careful examination of any lapses, irregularities, or external interferences, should any be established,” stressing that the process is being carried out “in full conformity with the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the Acts Authentication Act, the Standing Orders of both Chambers, and established parliamentary practice.”
To clear all doubts, the leadership of the National Assembly, under Senate President Godswill Akpabio and Speaker Abbas Tajudeen, approved the re-gazetting exercise.
“This administrative step is intended solely to authenticate and accurately reflect the legislative decisions of the National Assembly,” the House said.
The statement was emphatic that the review does not imply guilt.
“This review is strictly confined to institutional processes and procedures. It does not constitute, imply, or concede any defect in the exercise of legislative authority by the House of Representatives or the Senate,” it read.
It further clarified that the action was taken “without prejudice to the powers, functions, or actions of any other arm or agency of government” and would not affect “any rights, obligations, or legal processes arising under the Constitution or any other applicable law.”
Reaffirming its stance, the House declared its commitment to “constitutionalism, separation of powers, due process, and the supremacy of the rule of law.”
“Where procedural or administrative refinements are identified, appropriate corrective measures will be taken in accordance with the law and established parliamentary conventions,” Rotimi said.
The National Assembly also urged Nigerians to remain calm.
“Members of the public are respectfully urged to allow the National Assembly’s institutional processes to proceed without speculation or conjecture,” the statement said, assuring that transparency and accountability will guide the process as more details emerge.
