Rep Dasuki has alleged discrepancies in the content of tax laws gazetted and those passed by the National Assembly
A member of the House of Representatives, Rep. Abdulsamad Dasuki (PDP Sokoto), on Wednesday raised a matter of privilege during plenary over what he described as discrepancies between tax laws passed by the National Assembly and the version later gazetted and sold to Nigerians at the Ministry of Information.
President Bola Tinubu‘s tax reform bills, transmitted to the National Assembly in October 2024, aimed to overhaul Nigeria’s tax system for better administration and revenue generation. These include the Nigeria Tax Bill, Nigeria Tax Administration Bill, Nigeria Revenue Service (Establishment) Bill, and Joint Revenue Board (Establishment) Bill.
The four bills were passed and subsequently signed into law by President Tinubu on June 26, 2025.
Raising the issue under matters of privilege, Dasuki told the House that his legislative rights had been breached, insisting that the content of the gazetted tax laws did not reflect what lawmakers debated and approved on the floor of the House.
“Mr. Speaker, honourable colleagues, I’m here today because my privilege has been breached as a member of this all-important House,” Dasuki said.
He explained that after the passage of the tax bills, he reviewed the official records of both House and Senate to confirm the outcome of the legislative process.
“We passed the tax laws on this floor and, Mr. Speaker, I took my time in the last three days to look at the gazetted passed copy, the Votes and Proceedings of the House of Representatives, and also went an extra mile to look at the Votes and Proceedings of the Senate of what was harmonised,” he said.
According to him, the outcome of his review raised serious concerns.
“What was passed on this floor is not what is gazetted,” Rep. Dasuki stated. “I was here, I gave my vote and it was counted, and I’m seeing something completely different.”
He said he had obtained copies of the documents in question, including the gazetted version available to the public.
“You find out what is before Nigerians, which is being sold to Nigerians at the Ministry of Information, which I personally went to buy. The gazetted copies are not what was passed,” he added.
Dasuki stressed that the issue went beyond a procedural error, warning that it amounted to a constitutional violation.
“This is a breach of the Constitution. This is a breach of our laws and this should not be taken lightly by this Honourable House,” he said.
While noting that he was not moving a substantive motion, the lawmaker urged the speaker to ensure a transparent review of the documents.
“I’ll be pleading that all the documents should be brought before the Committee of the Whole. Members should see what is in the gazette and what they passed on the floor so that we can make the relevant amendment,” he said.
Responding, the speaker acknowledged the concern and assured the House that the matter would be addressed.
“Your observation is noted, and action will be taken, I assure you that,” the speaker said.
The development has raised fresh questions over the integrity of the legislative process and the handling of laws after passage by the National Assembly.
