The House of Representatives has raised concerns over alleged discrepancies between the tax laws passed by the National Assembly and the version currently in circulation.
The issue was brought to the floor on Wednesday by a lawmaker, Abdussamad Dasuki, who spoke under a matter of privilege during plenary. He alleged that the gazetted copy of the new tax laws differs in key clauses from the harmonised version approved by both the Senate and the House.
“My privilege as a member of this House has been breached,” Dasuki said. “We debated and passed the tax bills on this floor. However, after reviewing the gazetted copy over the last few days and comparing it with the votes and proceedings of both chambers, I discovered that what was passed is not what has been gazetted.”
He told lawmakers that the version being presented to Nigerians through official channels did not reflect the resolutions of the National Assembly.
“What is being shown to Nigerians is not what was passed by the House of Representatives and the Senate,” he added.
Dasuki urged the House leadership to immediately review the harmonised document alongside the gazetted version and submit all relevant records to the Committee of the Whole for scrutiny.
“I respectfully request that all documents be brought before the Committee of the Whole so that the necessary corrections can be made,” he said, describing the situation as “a clear breach of the Constitution and our laws.”
Responding, Speaker of the House, Tajudeen Abbas, assured lawmakers that the leadership would investigate the matter.
“We will look into this issue thoroughly and take appropriate steps in the interest of the nation,” Abbas said.
The development has sparked fresh concerns among lawmakers over the integrity of the legislative process and the accuracy of laws presented to the public following passage by the National Assembly.
