The House of Representatives has rejected claims that a minority caucus–backed ad hoc committee has the authority to re-examine Nigeria’s recently enacted tax laws, describing the move as procedurally flawed and lacking institutional legitimacy.
In a statement issued on Monday, the House spokesperson, Akin Rotimi, said the alleged committee has no standing under the parliamentary rules of the lower chamber.
According to him, the House Standing Orders are clear that only the House sitting in plenary or the Speaker has the constitutional authority to constitute an ad hoc committee with full parliamentary status.
“No political caucus, whether majority or minority, possesses the procedural authority to establish a committee that carries the status of a parliamentary body,” Rotimi said.
While recognising the role of political caucuses in a parliamentary democracy, the lawmaker explained that such groups are limited to consultation, coordination and policy advocacy among their members. He stressed that caucuses do not have investigative, oversight or quasi-legislative powers.
Rotimi added that any action taken by a caucus in this context is informal, non-binding and carries no legal or institutional consequence, insisting that committees set up outside approved procedures lack official recognition.
He further clarified that any interim or final report produced by a caucus-led body cannot be presented to the House, received as an official parliamentary document or included in the legislative and oversight records of the National Assembly.
According to him, the move attributed to the minority caucus is inconsistent with parliamentary norms and risks misleading the public, particularly as concerns surrounding the tax laws have already been addressed through established legislative processes.
Rotimi recalled that in December 2025, the House constituted a bipartisan ad hoc committee after an opposition lawmaker raised concerns over the circulation of multiple documents purporting to be official gazettes of the tax legislation.
