The Minority Caucus in the House of Representatives has asked the Federal Government to suspend the implementation of the new tax reform laws, warning that the versions currently in circulation may have been tampered with after leaving the National Assembly.
The four tax Acts are scheduled to come into force on January 1, 2026, but the caucus says enforcement should be put on hold until the House completes an ongoing probe into alleged post‑passage alterations.
In a statement issued in Abuja late Sunday, December 28, and signed by Minority Leader Kingsley Chinda, Minority Whip Ali Isa J.C., Deputy Minority Leader Aliyu Madaki and Deputy Minority Whip George Ozodinobi, the caucus said it is deeply troubled by the claims.
“We have noted with great consternation and an overwhelming sense of disappointment the current storm brewing over the Tax Reform laws that were duly passed by the National Assembly and properly signed into law by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR,” they wrote.
“Ordinarily, the controversy will have been dismissed as needless, but the gravity of the cause of the controversy is an issue of great concern to all Nigerians, especially since it borders on the accusations of unlawful alterations to the laws as passed by both Chambers of the National Assembly and subsequently signed by the President.”
The lawmakers recalled that a member had raised the alarm during plenary, prompting the House to set up “a high-powered committee” to investigate allegations that the tax Acts “have been fraudulently altered, gazetted and the altered copy circulated to the public.”
They pledged to work with the rest of the chamber “to see that the circumstances surrounding this illegality is exposed and the culprits brought to book in the interest of justice for all Nigerians.”
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The caucus stressed that only texts authenticated by the Clerk to the National Assembly (CNA) and bearing the President’s signature can be regarded as valid.
“We therefore call on Nigerians to disregard any purported tax laws being circulated without the signature of the CNA and the President and Commander in Chief, such did not originate from the National Assembly, and neither do they reflect the true character of what were actually passed by the Legislature and signed by the President,” the statement said.
“Any attempt to foist fake laws on Nigerians is an attack on the independence and constitutional role of the National Assembly in safeguarding our democracy, and the Caucus will unconditionally protect the independence of the Legislature and our democracy.”
They then urged the Executive to pause rollout of the reforms.
“Consequently, we call on the government to suspend the implementation of the tax laws until investigations are concluded and there is clarity and certainty of the law to be implemented.
“Moreover, Nigerians and the business community are entitled to copies of the laws that they are expected to obey.
“We count on Mr. President’s democratic credentials to be responsive and responsible and heed to this call,” the statement added.