Senate President Godswill Akpabio has denied claims that Nigeria’s new tax laws were changed after being passed by the national assembly.
Gatekeepers News reports that he spoke on Wednesday during plenary, responding to concerns raised by Abdussamad Dakuku, a House of Representatives member, who alleged discrepancies between the bills approved by lawmakers and copies later released to the public.
Akpabio emphasised that only officially certified and gazetted documents represent the true outcome of the legislative process. “I understand that there is another version that was circulating around, which was not in compliance with what was contained in our votes and proceedings. There is no adulteration whatsoever in the final laws,” he said.
The Senate President noted that the four tax-related acts had gone through the full legislative process, received presidential assent from President Bola Tinubu, been gazetted, and certified by the Clerk of the National Assembly to prevent confusion.
He added that the texts reflect the harmonisation outcomes between the Senate and House of Representatives. To ensure transparency, Akpabio instructed the Clerk of the Senate to distribute certified copies of the acts to all senators, warning against circulation through unofficial channels. “So every senator is expected to go home with one today,” he said, noting that absent lawmakers would receive their copies directly.
Akpabio reiterated that the final versions incorporated all proceedings, including the harmonisation committee’s work, before receiving presidential assent. He stressed that only these certified copies should be considered official to prevent further speculation.
Separately, the Senate postponed consideration of its electoral matters committee report to give lawmakers additional time for review. Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele explained that the delay was partly due to the absence of the committee chairman, Simon Lalong.
Although copies had been circulated, senators will study the report ahead of further deliberations, including a closed session to examine key provisions. Akpabio supported the delay noting that the report doesn’t need to be rushed and assured that due process and fairness would guide the Senate’s review.
