- Fireworks likely as lawmakers return from recess
What began as a routine legislative exercise has spiralled into a bruising institutional dispute.
It has pitted political caucuses against parliamentary procedure, with troubling questions raised about the integrity of the law-making process.
At the centre of the storm are four newly enacted tax reform laws that were passed by the National Assembly, signed by the President, gazetted, and certified, yet are now mired in allegations of post-passage alterations.
Yesterday, the House of Representatives moved decisively to contain the growing controversy, formally disowning an interim report produced by an ad-hoc committee constituted by the House Minority Caucus to probe the alleged alterations.
The committee is headed by a member representing Ogbaru Constituency, Anambra State, Victor Afam Ogene.
Ogene, a journalist, made available the interim report by the minority caucus committee on Friday.
The report claims that there were alterations in the gazette, contrary to what the House passed.
The House declared that the committee was procedurally invalid and lacked the authority to conduct investigations or submit reports for legislative consideration.
The House rejected outright the findings of the minority caucus.
According to the House, only the plenary or the Speaker has the constitutional and procedural authority to constitute standing or ad-hoc committees to conduct investigations on behalf of the legislature.
Political caucuses, whether majority or minority, do not possess such powers, and any committee set up by them lacks institutional recognition, the House insisted.
It made this known through a statement by spokesman, Akintunde Rotimi, which said: “The setting up of such a committee is not recognised under the Standing Orders of the House.
“Neither the Majority nor Minority Caucus, nor any political caucus, has the authority to constitute investigative committees whose reports can be tabled before the House for legislative action.”
The House warned that reports emanating from such informal bodies had the potential to mislead the public and create unnecessary confusion, especially in a matter as sensitive as alleged alterations to laws already enacted and signed by the President.
The statement noted that the House had already established a properly constituted, bipartisan ad-hoc committee to investigate the allegations, rendering any parallel caucus-led inquiry unnecessary and improper.
Clarifying its position, the House said: “While the House recognises the legitimate role of the Minority Caucus within parliamentary democracy and affirms its right to express dissenting opinions, engage in policy advocacy, and raise public concerns, it is necessary to clearly distinguish between political activities and the formal parliamentary processes of the House.”
Citing the Standing Orders of the House of Representatives (Eleventh Edition), the statement stressed that political caucuses do not possess investigative authority, oversight jurisdiction, or the power to summon individuals or demand official documents.
The House said: “Any action taken by a caucus in this regard is therefore non-binding, informal, and without legal or institutional consequence.”
It added that any interim or final report produced by such a body could neither be laid before the House nor form part of the official legislative or oversight record of the National Assembly.
The House further described the Minority Caucus’s action as “procedurally improper, inconsistent with parliamentary norms, liable to set an unwholesome precedent, and capable of creating public misunderstanding.”
Providing background to the controversy, the House explained that in December 2025, following the intervention of an opposition lawmaker at plenary, it constituted a bipartisan ad-hoc committee to examine allegations that multiple documents purporting to be official gazettes of the tax legislation were in circulation.
That committee, made up of members from both the ruling and opposition parties, was tasked specifically with investigating the alleged discrepancies.
The House said the committee remains in force and is expected to submit its report to the plenary upon conclusion of its assignment.
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The statement added that following the investigation, the National Assembly, acting jointly through both chambers, published the official Gazette and issued Certified True Copies (CTCs) of the tax laws, thereby giving the legislative process full legal effect.
The House said: “The National Assembly has also formally disowned and debunked any unofficial documents in circulation.”
It reiterated that only the gazetted versions and duly certified copies issued by the National Assembly constitute authentic legislative instruments.
“In this context, the establishment of a parallel caucus-led committee and the circulation of purported interim findings serve only to compound public misunderstanding on an issue that has been institutionally resolved and overtaken by events,” the statement said.
Caucus rejects position of House
The Minority Caucus rejected the House leadership’s position, warning that dismissing its findings could embolden impunity and undermine legislative independence.
Ogene, Chairman of the Minority Caucus ad-hoc committee and Leader of the Labour Party Caucus, faulted the attempt to downplay his committee’s interim report, describing it as dangerous and misleading.
He was reacting to comments earlier attributed to the Deputy Spokesman of the House, Philip Agbese, who reportedly said the issue had been overtaken by events following the release of the Certified True Copies of the laws.
In a statement, Ogene said he would ordinarily have dismissed Agbese’s comments as a personal opinion, but for the sensitivity of the spokesperson’s office.
Ogene said: “My attention has been drawn to the dismissive statement by the Deputy Spokesperson of the House of Representatives, Hon. Philip Agbese, that the interim report of the Minority Caucus Ad-hoc Committee has been overtaken by events.
“Having previously served as Deputy Spokesperson of the seventh House of Representatives, I am cognisant of the responsibilities and public expectations attendant to such a position.
“I am therefore perplexed as to why he appears to be speaking on behalf of the Executive in this matter.”
Ogene insisted that the Minority Caucus report did not indict the National Assembly or question its legislative processes.
Rather, he said, it exposed attempts by external actors within the government bureaucracy to undermine the legislature by altering laws after passage.
“This should be a concern for all lawmakers who prioritise the integrity of law-making over transient political considerations,” he said.
He also questioned why the House-appointed committee, chaired by Rt. Hon. Aliyu Mukthar Betara was still sitting if the issue had truly been overtaken by events.
Ogene asked: “If the matter has been resolved, why has the Betara Committee not been dissolved?”
He warned that failure to pursue accountability could weaken democratic institutions.
