A member of the House of Representatives, Hon. Abdulsammad Dasuki (PDP, Sokoto), has raised concerns over alleged discrepancies between the newly gazetted tax reform laws and the versions passed by the National Assembly.
Dasuki raised the issue under a matter of privilege on the floor of the House on Wednesday.
According to him, his review of the gazetted copies of the tax laws revealed material differences from what was debated, harmonised, and approved by the House of Representatives and the Senate.
This comes barely two weeks before January 2026, when the implementation of the new tax laws is expected to commence.
What the lawmaker is saying
According to Dasuki, he compared the vote and proceedings of the House, the Senate’s records, and the harmonised versions with the gazetted copies currently in circulation.
“I took my time in the last three days to look at the gazetted pass copy, the vote and proceedings of the House of Representatives, and also went an extra mile to look at the vote and proceedings of the Senate, of what was harmonised.
“Mr. Speaker, honourable colleagues, what I passed on this floor is not what is gazette,” he argued.
The lawmaker said his concern was not being raised through a formal motion but as a constitutional issue requiring urgent legislative scrutiny.
He called on the Speaker to ensure that all relevant documents, including the harmonised bills, the versions passed by both chambers, and the gazetted laws, are laid before the Committee of the Whole.
The lawmaker, however, did not mention any specific changes made to the laws before it was gazetted.
Call for review and possible amendment
Dasuki urged the House to examine the documents collectively to identify the discrepancies and take corrective action where necessary.
“This is a breach of the Constitution, this is a breach of our laws, and this should not be taken by this honourable House,” he said, warning that allowing the situation to stand could undermine legislative authority and due process.
In response, the Speaker acknowledged the observation and assured the House that the matter would be addressed.
Backstory
The disputed laws form part of a broad tax reform package recently passed by the National Assembly and signed into law, with implementation scheduled to commence from January 2026.
The reforms are aimed at overhauling Nigeria’s tax framework, reducing the multiplicity of taxes, and aligning fiscal policy with ongoing economic reforms.
Key elements of the new tax regime include adjustments to corporate and personal income tax structures, changes to indirect taxes, and efforts to streamline tax administration across federal, state, and local government levels.
The reforms are also expected to interact with broader fiscal consolidation measures, including subsidy removal and public finance reforms.
With implementation less than two weeks away, Dasuki’s intervention introduces fresh uncertainty around the legal integrity of the tax laws and raises questions about whether the gazetted versions accurately reflect legislative intent.
