EXPOSED: Akpabio Orders NASS Clerk To Hide Certified Copy Of Tax Bill Transmitted To Tinubu For Assent
Fresh controversy has erupted within Nigeria’s National Assembly following allegations that Senate President Godswill Akpabio ordered the Clerk of the National Assembly to withhold certified copies of the tax reform bill transmitted to President Bola Tinubu and subsequently signed into law.
According to Peoples Gazette, two senators and four members of the House of Representatives alleged that the embargo on the certified true copy (CTC) of the assented law has intensified internal tensions and suspicion within the legislature. Lawmakers said repeated requests for the document were denied, allegedly on the direct instruction of the Senate President.
The lawmakers said access to the certified copy was necessary to confirm that the version signed by the president was identical to the bill passed by both chambers of the National Assembly.
The dispute was triggered by claims from Abdulsammad Dasuki (PDP, Sokoto State), a member of the House of Representatives, who alleged that the tax laws currently available to the public differ from those debated and approved by lawmakers.
Raising a Point of Privilege under Order Six, Rule Two of the House Rules, Dasuki said his legislative rights had been breached. He insisted that the content of the gazetted tax laws did not reflect what members debated, voted on, and approved during plenary.
“I was here, I gave my vote and it was counted, and I am seeing something completely different,” Dasuki was quoted as saying.
He explained that he spent three days reviewing the gazetted laws alongside the Votes and Proceedings of the House and the harmonised versions adopted by both chambers, adding that copies obtained from the Ministry of Information did not match the approved versions.
Dasuki stressed that his intervention was not intended to move a motion but to alert the House to what he described as a serious breach of the legislative process and the Constitution.
Following his claims, several lawmakers reportedly submitted formal requests for copies of the signed law to compare it with the version passed during plenary sessions. The Gazette reported that it had seen a certified true copy of the tax bill as passed by the National Assembly, raising further questions about why access to the assented version was being restricted.
As of the time of filing this report, neither Akpabio, the Office of the Clerk of the National Assembly, nor the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, had commented on the allegations.
However, lawmakers said officials in the Clerk’s office told them they were acting on Akpabio’s instructions not to release copies of the assented tax law to any legislator.
“What is unfolding before us is an attempt to subvert our nascent democracy,” a ruling party senator said anonymously. “I have personally approached the clerk’s office four times over the past week, but they keep saying the Senate President instructed them not to release the documents.”
A House of Representatives member from Oyo State also described the situation as troubling, expressing disappointment with Speaker Abbas’ handling of the issue.
“This should be handled with urgency and sensitivity,” the lawmaker said, adding that the matter was being pushed into the new year despite concerns that implementation of the law may begin on January 1.
Lawmakers warned that withholding the assented document undermines legislative oversight and erodes trust within parliament, noting that access to the certified copy is central to determining whether alterations were made between passage and presidential assent.
Meanwhile, Senator Sunday Karimi, a member of the Senate Finance Committee, dismissed claims of alterations as unsubstantiated.
“It is a rumour, nothing confirmed,” Karimi said, adding that it was still the committee’s responsibility to investigate. He also expressed confidence in President Tinubu, saying the president would not be involved in any attempt to undermine democratic processes.
Nigeria is now facing growing political tension over allegations that the newly passed tax reform laws were secretly altered after approval by the National Assembly. Opposition figures, lawmakers, and civil society groups have called for transparency, with some describing the alleged alterations as unconstitutional.
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has described the alleged changes as a “brazen act of treason” and a direct attack on Nigeria’s democracy.
