The House of Representatives Minority Caucus has raised serious concerns over alleged illegal alterations in the gazetted versions of recently passed tax laws, warning that the discrepancies amount to an affront on the constitutional authority of the National Assembly.
In an interim report dated January 23, 2026, the Minority Caucus Ad-hoc Committee on Tax Laws said its preliminary findings confirmed significant differences between the tax reform Acts passed by the National Assembly, assented to by the President, and versions earlier circulated in the official gazette.
The controversy followed public outrage after a member of the House, Hon. Abdulsamad Dasuki, alerted the chamber to discrepancies between the laws passed by parliament and an “authorised” version already in circulation. In response, the Minority Caucus, led by Rt. Hon. Kingsley Chinda, vowed on December 28, 2025, to protect the independence of the legislature and Nigeria’s democracy from what it described as attempts to foist fake laws on Nigerians.
To investigate the matter, the Caucus on January 2, 2026, constituted a seven-member fact-finding committee chaired by Hon. Afam Victor Ogene. Other members include Hon. Aliyu Garu (Bauchi), Hon. Stanley Adedeji (Oyo), Hon. Ibe Osonwa (Abia), Hon. Marie Ebikake (Bayelsa), Hon. MB Shehu Fagge (Kano) and Hon. Gaza Gbefwi Jonathan (Nasarawa).
Meanwhile, on January 3, 2026, the House, through its spokesman, Rep. Akintunde Rotimi, announced that the Speaker, Rt. Hon. Abbas Tajudeen, had ordered the public release of the four tax reform Acts duly passed and signed into law. The Speaker also directed an internal verification and alignment of the Certified Acts with the Federal Government Printing Press to “eliminate doubts, restore clarity and protect the sanctity of the legislature.”
The Acts released include the Nigeria Tax Act, 2025; Nigeria Tax Administration Act, 2025; National Revenue Service (Establishment) Act, 2025; and the Joint Revenue Board (Establishment) Act, 2025.
According to the Minority Caucus committee, a comparison of the Certified True Copies released by the House with the earlier gazetted versions revealed multiple anomalies, particularly in the Nigeria Tax Administration Act, 2025. The committee noted that at least three different versions of the Act were in circulation, confirming the allegations raised on the floor of the House.
Among the contentious provisions identified were altered reporting thresholds, the introduction of a mandatory 20 per cent deposit for tax appeals, expanded enforcement powers including arrest and sale of assets without court orders, changes to the definition of federal taxes, and a requirement for tax computation in US dollars for petroleum operations—provisions the committee said were not contained in the version passed by the National Assembly.
The report also flagged alterations in the Nigeria Revenue Service (Establishment) Act, where oversight provisions granting the National Assembly powers to summon officials and receive quarterly and annual reports were allegedly deleted in the gazetted version.
Describing the developments as grave and indicative of procedural anomalies that undermine legislative authority and democratic checks and balances, the committee said the evidence so far justifies a deeper investigation. It has therefore requested an extension of time to conduct a more comprehensive probe into the matter.
The interim report was signed by the committee’s chairman, Hon. Afam Victor Ogene, who thanked the Minority Caucus leadership for the opportunity to serve.
