The Presidency has responded to the controversy surrounding the newly signed tax reform laws, with Taiwo Oyedele, Chairman of the Presidential Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms Committee, calling on the National Assembly to investigate alleged discrepancies in the gazetted versions of the legislation
Oyedele spoke on Monday during an interview on Channels Television’s Morning Brief, amid mounting calls from former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi, and several civil society groups for a suspension of the tax laws’ implementation.
The debate stems from claims by House of Representatives member Abdulsamad Dasuki, who alleged that the versions of the tax bills passed by lawmakers differed from the versions later gazetted and released to the public. Dasuki argued that his legislative rights had been compromised, insisting that the gazetted laws did not reflect what was debated and approved in the National Assembly.
In response, Oyedele dismissed media reports as misleading, stating that any alleged discrepancies could not be confirmed without access to the officially certified bills passed by lawmakers. “Before you can say there is a difference between what was gazetted and what was passed, we don’t even have what was passed. The official harmonised bills certified by the clerk, which the National Assembly sent to the President, we don’t have a copy to compare. Only the lawmakers can say authoritatively what they sent,” he said.
Oyedele added that even members of the executive, including himself, only had access to the versions submitted to President Bola Tinubu for assent. He also addressed concerns over a provision in Section 41(8), reportedly requiring a 20 per cent deposit, noting that he had reached out to the relevant House committee for clarification. “I know that particular provision is not in the final gazette, but it was in the draft gazette. Some documents circulating publicly were prepared before the committee concluded its work,” he said.
He further urged patience, emphasizing that “what is out there in the media did not come from the committee set up by the House of Representatives. I think we should allow them to conduct the investigation.”
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