Tax Laws: Rumblings as House Minority Caucus kicks over dismissal of report on alleged alterations

*The leadership of Nigeria House of Representatives dismisses interim report of the Minority Caucus Ad-hoc Committee investigating alleged alterations in gazetted tax laws, declaring the committee as ‘procedurally invalid’, lacking authority to conduct investigations or submit reports for the consideration of the entire Lower House of the National Assembly

Alexander Davis | ConsumerConnect

Nigeria’s House of Representatives, in the National Assembly (NASS), Abuja, FCT, has rejected outright the findings of the Minority Caucus that investigated alleged alterations in the country’s gazetted tax reforms laws.

ConsumerConnect reports Hon. Akintunde Rotimi, Spokesperson of the House of Representatives, stated the Green Chamber declared that the Minority Caucus Committee was “procedurally invalid”, and lacked the authority to conduct investigations or submit reports for the entire legislative consideration.

The House also noted that what recently started as a routine legislative exercise has snowballed into a bruising institutional dispute.

The emerging scenario has pitted political caucuses in the Lower Chamber of NASS against parliamentary procedure, with troubling questions raised about the integrity of the law-making process.

The crux of the matter had resulted from the four newly-enacted Tax Reforms by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, gazetted, and certified.

However, these are now mired in allegations of post-passage alterations, or discrepancies.

The House of Representatives moved decisively to contain the growing controversy, formally disowning an interim report produced by an ad-hoc committee constituted by the House Minority Caucus to probe the alleged alterations in the gazetted tax reforms laws.

Victor Afam Ogene, a member of the House, representing Ogbaru Constituency, Anambra State, heads the Ad-hoc Committee.

Ogene, who is a journalist, Friday last week, made available the interim report by the minority caucus committee.

The Committee’s report had noted that there were alterations in the gazette, contrary to what the House passed.

However, the House explained that only the plenary, or the Speaker has the constitutional and procedural authority to constitute any standing or ad-hoc committees to conduct investigations on behalf of the Federal legislature.

According to the leadership of the House of Representatives, political caucuses, whether majority or minority, do not possess such powers, and any committee set up by them lacks institutional recognition.

Akintunde, Spokesperson of the House, further stated: “The setting up of such a committee is not recognised under the Standing Orders of the House.

“Neither the Majority nor Minority Caucus, nor any political caucus, has the authority to constitute investigative committees whose reports can be tabled before the House for legislative action.”

The Federal Legislature, therefore, warned that any reports emanating from such “informal bodies” or committees had the potential to mislead the Nigerian public, and create unnecessary confusion, especially in a matter as sensitive as alleged alterations to laws already enacted and signed by the President.

Akintunde affirmed that the House had already established a properly constituted, bipartisan ad-hoc committee to investigate the allegations, thereby rendering any other parallel caucus-led inquiry unnecessary and improper.

The House Spokesperson also averred: “While the House recognises the legitimate role of the Minority Caucus within parliamentary democracy, and affirms its right to express dissenting opinions, engage in policy advocacy, and raise public concerns, it is necessary to clearly distinguish between political activities and the formal parliamentary processes of the House.”

Citing the Standing Orders of the House of Representatives (Eleventh Edition), the statement stressed that political caucuses do not possess investigative authority, oversight jurisdiction, or the power to summon individuals or demand official documents.

“Any action taken by a caucus in this regard is therefore non-binding, informal, and without legal or institutional consequence,” stated the Spokesperson.

The statement as well noted that any interim or final report produced by such a body could neither be laid before the House nor form part of the official legislative or oversight record of the National Assembly.

The House further described the Minority Caucus’s action as “procedurally improper, inconsistent with parliamentary norms, liable to set an unwholesome precedent, and capable of creating public misunderstanding.”

Going down the memory lane, the House recalled that in December 2025, following the intervention of an opposition lawmaker at plenary, it constituted a bipartisan ad-hoc committee to examine allegations that multiple documents purporting to be official gazettes of the tax legislation were in circulation.

According to the leadership, that official committee, made up of members from both the ruling and opposition parties, was tasked specifically with investigating the alleged discrepancies.

The Spokesperson restated that the committee remains in force, and is expected to submit its report to the plenary upon conclusion of its assignment.

Following the investigation, the National Assembly, acting jointly through both chambers, published the official Gazette and issued Certified True Copies (CTCs) of the tax laws, thereby giving the legislative process full legal effect.

The House stated: “The National Assembly has also formally disowned and debunked any unofficial documents in circulation.”

The statement noted that only the gazetted versions and duly certified copies issued by the National Assembly constitute authentic legislative instruments.

Akintunde added: “In this context, the establishment of a parallel caucus-led committee and the circulation of purported interim findings serve only to compound public misunderstanding on an issue that has been institutionally resolved and overtaken by events.”

Caucus rejects position of House

Reacting to the official position of the leadership of the House of Representatives, the Minority Caucus also rejected the Green Chamber’s position.

It warned that dismissing its findings could embolden impunity and undermine legislative independence in the country.

Ogene, Chairman of the Minority Caucus Ad-hoc Committee and Leader of the Labour Party Caucus, faulted the attempt to downplay his committee’s interim report.

The Federal legislator described the House leadership’s summary dismissal of its report as dangerous and misleading.

Ogene was apparently reacting to comments earlier attributed to Philip Agbese, Deputy Spokesman of the House, who reportedly said the issue had been overtaken by events following the release of the Certified True Copies (CTCs) of the laws.

Ogene, in a statement, also noted that ordinarily, he would have dismissed Agbese’s comments as a personal opinion, but for the sensitivity of the Deputy Spokesperson’s office.

He stated: “My attention has been drawn to the dismissive statement by the Deputy Spokesperson of the House of Representatives, Hon. Philip Agbese, that the interim report of the Minority Caucus Ad-hoc Committee has been overtaken by events.

“Having previously served as Deputy Spokesperson of the seventh House of Representatives, I am cognisant of the responsibilities and public expectations attendant to such a position.

“I am, therefore, perplexed as to why he appears to be speaking on behalf of the Executive in this matter.”

Ogene insisted that the Minority Caucus report did not indict the National Assembly or question its legislative processes.

Rather, he said, it exposed attempts by external actors within the government bureaucracy to undermine the legislature by altering laws after passage.

The lawmaker said: “This should be a concern for all lawmakers who prioritise the integrity of law-making over transient political considerations.”

He cautioned that failure to pursue accountability could weaken democratic institutions.

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