Senate President Godswill Akpabio on Wednesday moved to quell a burgeoning controversy over Nigeria’s newly enacted tax laws, emphatically denying that the legislation was altered after it was passed by the National Assembly, and directing the distribution of certified copies of the Acts to all senators to ensure transparency.
Speaking during plenary at the National Assembly in Abuja, Akpabio dismissed allegations circulating that versions of the tax reform legislation available in the public domain differed from those approved by lawmakers. The assertions, initially raised by a member of the House of Representatives, Hon. Abdussamad Dakuku, suggested discrepancies between the texts passed by the legislature and those later gazetted.
“These allegations are unwarranted,” Akpabio told senators. “Any document circulating outside the officially certified versions should be disregarded, as such materials do not represent the outcome of the National Assembly’s legislative proceedings.”
He stressed that four tax-related Acts, which have completed the full legislative process and received presidential assent from President Bola Tinubu, were correctly reflected in the versions now law. “I understand there is another version circulating, which was not in compliance with our votes and proceedings. There was no adulteration whatsoever in the final laws,” he said, reaffirming that the gazetted texts are faithful to the resolutions reached by both chambers during debate and harmonisation.
To reinforce confidence in the legislative process and eliminate confusion, Akpabio ordered that certified copies of the tax laws be distributed to all members of the Senate. “So every senator is expected to go home with one today,” he said, adding that absent lawmakers would receive their copies directly. He also cautioned that the documents must only be issued by the Clerk of the Senate to prevent misinformation.
“The final texts incorporate proceedings from both chambers, including the outcomes of the harmonisation committee, before receiving presidential assent,” Akpabio noted, underscoring that these certified copies are the only legitimate reference versions of the laws.
The Senate President’s remarks come amid wider actions taken by the National Assembly leadership in recent weeks to address public concerns over the tax laws’ authenticity. In early January, the House of Representatives, led by Speaker Dr. Abbas Tajudeen, published Certified True Copies (CTCs) of the four tax reform Acts, including the endorsement and presidential assent pages, as part of efforts to counter speculation about unauthorised versions of the laws in circulation.
Despite these assurances, some lawmakers and caucuses have continued to call for deeper scrutiny. The House of Representatives’ Minority Caucus, for example, claimed in an interim report that its fact-finding committee observed material differences between the versions debated in the National Assembly and those later gazetted, describing any inconsistency as “a breach of the Constitution”.
The National Assembly’s efforts to clarify the matter also included a directive for the re-gazetting of the tax reform laws to ensure that the official texts fully reflect the versions passed by lawmakers. Leadership in both chambers mandated the Clerk of the National Assembly to re-issue certified versions of the Acts to “enable public verification and reference.”
During Wednesday’s plenary, the Senate also deferred consideration of the report of its Committee on Electoral Matters, choosing to give lawmakers more time to review the document. Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele said the delay was due to the absence of the committee’s chairman, Senator Simon Lalong.
Akpabio supported the decision, emphasising that the upper chamber would prioritise careful review and due process in its legislative work. “We don’t need to rush the report,” he said, pledging that the Senate would “ensure justice is done for all and sundry.”
