The Deputy Spokesman of Nigeria’s House of Representatives, the lower chamber of the country’s National Assembly, Philip Agbese, has said an interim report by minority lawmakers on alleged alterations in Nigeria’s new tax reform laws came too late because the matter had already been addressed.
Agbese spoke to journalists in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital, on Saturday, 24 January 2026, after the Clerk to the National Assembly released Certified True Copies (CTCs) of the tax reform Acts for public access.
Okay News reports that the minority caucus set up an ad hoc committee to review claims that the tax laws published to the public did not match the versions lawmakers debated and passed in parliament.
The committee, chaired by Afam Ogene, a lawmaker representing Ogbaru Federal Constituency in Anambra State, a state in south eastern Nigeria, said it found discrepancies between the laws passed by the National Assembly and the copies later made available through official publication.
According to the committee, its comparison of the CTCs released by the House with earlier published versions suggested that changes were made, especially to the Nigeria Tax Administration Act, 2025.
The committee also claimed that at least three different versions of the Nigeria Tax Administration Act were circulating. It further argued that a directive to “align” the Acts with the Federal Government Printing Press raised questions about whether the proper legislative process was followed after passage.
In response, Agbese said the leadership of the National Assembly had already taken steps to resolve the controversy before the minority committee released its interim findings.
He said the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, working with the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, ensured that the authentic versions of the four tax reform Acts were made available, as passed by the National Assembly and signed into law by Nigeria’s President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
“The concerns raised regarding discrepancies in the tax laws have already been comprehensively addressed by the House leadership. With the release of the Certified True Copies of the Acts, there is now clarity as to what was passed by the National Assembly and signed into law,” Agbese said.
He added that the Speaker ordered an internal verification exercise to ensure that only the correct and duly approved versions of the laws remain in circulation. Agbese said this was meant to show the House’s commitment to transparency, due process, and protection of democratic institutions.
Agbese also said the joint actions taken by the leadership of both chambers of the National Assembly showed a common resolve to protect the legislature’s constitutional role and prevent any weakening of its authority to make laws.
Concerns about the integrity of the tax reform laws surfaced after the Acts were officially published, with some lawmakers and civil society voices questioning differences between what they said was debated and approved in the legislature and what appeared in the published copies.
Those concerns led to the creation of separate review efforts within the House and among minority lawmakers to examine the documents and determine whether any post passage changes occurred.
While Agbese acknowledged that lawmakers have the right to raise questions in the interest of accountability, he insisted that the steps already taken by the House leadership had effectively settled the issue.
“The House has acted swiftly and responsibly. The leadership did not wait for public pressure to mount before taking action. The release of the Certified Acts has settled the matter and ensured that Nigerians are guided only by the correct and lawful versions of the tax reforms,” he said.
