Controversy Over Tax Laws Alteration Rages As Minority Caucus Tackles House Leadership
The chairman, House of Representatives Minority Caucus Ad-hoc Committee on Tax Laws, Hon. Afam Victor Ogene, has faulted remarks by the Deputy Spokesperson of the House, Hon. Philip Agbese, dismissing the committee’s interim report on alleged alterations to the Tax Reforms Acts.
Ogene warned that downplaying the report could enable impunity and undermine the integrity and independence of the National Assembly.
In a statement in Abuja on Sunday, Ogene said he was perplexed that Agbese, speaking from an official position, appeared to defend the executive rather than uphold the legislature’s constitutional authority.
He clarified that the Minority Caucus committee did not indict the National Assembly or its legislative processes, but instead exposed attempts by external actors within the government bureaucracy to tamper with duly passed laws.
“The interim report highlighted a disturbing effort to undermine the functional integrity and independence of the legislature after the laws had been passed,” Ogene said.
He also questioned the claim that the matter had been “overtaken by events” following the release of Certified True Copies (CTCs) of the laws, noting that a separate House committee chaired by Rt. Hon. Muktar Aliyu Betara was still sitting to review discrepancies between the passed Acts and the gazetted versions.
“If the issue has truly been resolved, why is the Betara Committee still in operation?” he asked.
Ogene stressed that the committee’s findings showed that the alterations amounted to a serious affront to the National Assembly’s constitutional role, describing the incident as an embarrassment to the institution and the country.
He cautioned that dismissing the issue without accountability would weaken democratic institutions, insisting that legislative independence must be defended regardless of partisan considerations.
While expressing confidence in the leadership of Speaker Tajudeen Abbas, Ogene urged the House to pursue accountability and protect the public interest.
