The National Assembly has disowned purported “gazetted” versions of recently enacted tax laws in circulation, insisting that only the Certified True Copies (CTCs) released by the legislature constitute the authentic texts of the laws signed by President Bola Tinubu.

To address growing public concerns over alleged discrepancies, the House of Representatives on Saturday made public the four tax reform Acts recently signed into law, following a resolution reached in concurrence with the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio.

The move came after lawmakers raised alarm during plenary over inconsistencies between some circulating versions of the tax laws and the texts debated and passed by the National Assembly, warning that the situation could undermine public confidence in the legislative process if left unresolved.

Speaker of the House, Tajudeen Abbas, consequently directed the immediate release of the Certified True Copies of the Acts, complete with endorsement and presidential assent pages, to allow for public verification and scrutiny.

The Acts released include the Nigeria Tax Act, 2025; the Nigeria Tax Administration Act, 2025; the National Revenue Service (Establishment) Act, 2025; and the Joint Revenue Board (Establishment) Act, 2025.

The controversy was triggered when a lawmaker from Sokoto State, Abdussamad Dasuki, raised a point of privilege on the floor of the House, drawing attention to what he described as discrepancies between certain versions of the laws in circulation and those approved by the National Assembly.

Dasuki warned that allowing unauthorised versions to persist could erode trust in both the new tax regime and the credibility of the legislature.

In response, the House resolved to probe the matter, prompting the Speaker to order an internal verification of the Acts and their immediate public release to dispel doubts about their authenticity.

In a statement issued on Saturday, the House spokesperson, Akin Rotimi, said the action demonstrated the leadership’s commitment to transparency and the protection of legislative integrity.

“The attention of the House was drawn to the existence of inconsistent versions of the tax laws in circulation after a vigilant Honourable member identified discrepancies, raised the alarm, and formally reported the matter on a point of privilege,” Rotimi said.

“Acting promptly, the Speaker ordered an internal verification and the immediate public release of the certified Acts to eliminate doubt, restore clarity, and safeguard the sanctity of the legislative record.”

Rotimi noted that Speaker Abbas provided firm leadership throughout the tax reform process, which entailed extensive stakeholder engagement, committee scrutiny, clause-by-clause consideration and rigorous plenary debates.

According to him, the Speaker consistently maintained that tax reform must be grounded in clarity, fairness and strict compliance with constitutional and parliamentary procedures.

The statement explained that the four Acts collectively form the foundation of Nigeria’s ongoing tax reform agenda, aimed at modernising revenue administration, boosting compliance, reducing inefficiencies and strengthening fiscal coordination across the federation.

Reassuring Nigerians, Abbas said the National Assembly operates as an institution anchored on records and procedure.

“The National Assembly is an institution built on records, procedure, and institutional memory. Every bill, amendment and Act follows a traceable constitutional and parliamentary pathway,” the Speaker was quoted as saying.

“Once a law is passed and assented to, its integrity is preserved through certification and legislative custody. There is no ambiguity about what constitutes the law.”

The House stressed that the certified versions released by the National Assembly remain the only valid and authoritative texts of the four tax Acts, urging the public, professionals and institutions to disregard any other versions not duly certified.

It further disclosed that the Clerk to the National Assembly has completed the harmonisation process with the Federal Government Printing Press to ensure accuracy and uniformity, while hard copies have been circulated to lawmakers and made available to the public.

Meanwhile, the House confirmed that the Ad-Hoc Committee established to investigate the alleged circulation of altered versions of the laws would continue its work.

“The committee, chaired by Rt. Hon. Muktar Betara, will ascertain the circumstances surrounding the circulation of unauthorised versions of the tax Acts and recommend measures to prevent a recurrence,” the statement added.

The House reaffirmed its commitment to constitutionalism, transparency and the protection of the integrity of Nigeria’s legislative process.