Fresh controversy has erupted over Nigeria’s newly passed tax laws after a member of the House of Representatives, Abdulsammad Dasuki, alleged that the version approved by lawmakers differs significantly from the one gazetted for public use. The claim has triggered widespread outrage, with Nigerians questioning the integrity of the legislative process.
Speaking during a plenary session on Wednesday, Dasuki accused unnamed authorities of altering the content of the tax legislation after it was passed by the National Assembly. A video of his remarks, now viral on social media, shows the lawmaker insisting that what lawmakers voted for was not what Nigerians are seeing in the official version.
Dasuki told the House that the discrepancies go beyond clerical errors, describing them as a direct breach of the Nigerian Constitution. “What was passed on this floor is not what is gazetted,” he said, adding that his vote appeared to have been applied to an entirely different document.
Reacting to the allegation, Speaker of the House, Tajudeen Abbas, assured lawmakers that the matter would be investigated. He said the leadership of the House would examine the claims to establish whether any irregularities occurred in the post-legislative process.
Outside the National Assembly, the allegations have sparked intense public debate. Many Nigerians took to social media to express anger and disbelief, with some describing the situation as an unprecedented assault on democratic governance.
Human rights lawyer and activist Inibehe Effiong said that if the claim is verified, it would amount to an impeachable offence. “This is an impeachable offence,” he wrote on X, echoing similar concerns raised by other commentators who warned of a constitutional crisis.
As of the time of filing this report, the presidency has not issued an official response to the allegations. The tax law in question, signed by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in June, is scheduled to take effect on 1 January 2025, raising pressure on authorities to clarify the controversy before implementation begins.
