Abdussamad Dasuki, a member of Nigeria’s House of Representatives, has alleged discrepancies between the tax reform bills passed by the National Assembly and the versions subsequently gazetted and made available to the public.
Dasuki, who represents the Kebbe/Tambuwal federal constituency of Sokoto State raised this concern during plenary sesssion on Wednesday. He said the official gazetted copies of the legislation did not reflect what lawmakers debated, harmonised and approved on the floor of the House.
A gazette is an official government publication used to formally promulgate laws and legal notices after legislative approval and presidential assent. It serves as an authoritative public record relied upon by government agencies, the courts and the wider public as evidence of the law in force.
According to Dasuki, the versions currently being gazetted differ materially from what was passed by the legislature. “What was passed on the floor is not what is gazetted. Mr Speaker, honourable colleagues, I was here, I gave my vote and it was counted, and I am seeing something completely different,” he said.
He told the House that he had personally obtained copies of the gazetted laws from the Federal Ministry of Information and found inconsistencies when compared with the versions harmonised by both chambers and approved during plenary. He urged the Speaker to initiate a comparison of the harmonised bills, the versions passed by the House and the gazetted copies in circulation.
Dasuki warned that the alleged discrepancies amounted to a constitutional breach and should be treated as a matter of urgency. “This is a breach of the constitution and a breach of our laws, and it should not be taken lightly by this honourable House,” he said.
The lawmaker requested that the version passed by the National Assembly be laid before the Committee of the Whole to enable lawmakers to scrutinise it alongside the gazetted copy and make any necessary corrections.
Responding, Tajudeen Avbas Speaker of the House, acknowledged the concerns raised and assured members that appropriate action would be taken to address the issue.
