A SHARP public confrontation has erupted between Senator Ali Ndume (APC, Borno South) and the House of Representatives following allegations of discrepancies in recently passed tax legislation, raising fresh questions about legislative transparency and procedure.
News Point Nigeria reports that the disagreement, which escalated into a heated exchange on Sunday, pitted Ndume against the Deputy Spokesman of the House of Representatives, Philip Agbese, who accused the senator of being “mischievous” for suggesting that the version of the tax laws signed by President Bola Tinubu differed from the version passed by the National Assembly.
Ndume, however, fired back strongly, describing Agbese’s remarks as disrespectful and inappropriate, and insisting that the matter remains under investigation by a duly constituted committee of the House.
The controversy began last week after Ndume, during a television interview, raised concerns that certain provisions in the tax legislation may have been altered during harmonisation or gazetting before being transmitted to the President for assent. He argued that such discrepancies, if confirmed, could have serious legal and interpretative consequences.
Reacting to the claims on Sunday in Abuja, Agbese dismissed the allegations, warning that they could erode public confidence in the legislature.
“It is sheer mischief to suggest that the tax laws were falsified,” Agbese said. “It is wrong for anyone to suggest that lawmakers altered or concealed provisions of the tax laws. Both chambers remain committed to transparency and accountability.”
He stressed that the House had already constituted a committee to investigate concerns surrounding the legislation, making accusations of cover-up or legislative fraud premature and unfounded.
“The House has taken responsible steps to clarify the issues. Nigerians should not be misled into believing that lawmakers acted in bad faith,” Agbese added.
Ndume, however, took strong exception to the House deputy spokesman’s comments, accusing him of overstepping his bounds and speaking without authority.
Speaking to journalists later on Sunday, the senator said the House leadership should caution Agbese, noting that the issue was still under formal investigation.
“Only the Betara-led panel has the locus standi to declare, after investigation, that there is no difference between the version passed by parliament and that which was subsequently gazetted,” Ndume said, referring to the committee chaired by Rep. Muktar Betara.
He argued that Agbese’s intervention reflected inexperience and an attempt to ingratiate himself with House leadership.
“Agbese is forgiven on the grounds of inexperience. He is a first-timer. I was in the House in 2003 when he was probably in secondary school,” Ndume said.
“At 66, if I’m not old enough to be his father, I am close to that. My first daughter is 42 years old. For him to describe my statement as mischievous is very unfortunate.”
Ndume insisted that his concerns were procedural rather than personal, stressing that he had not accused any individual lawmaker of wrongdoing.
“I did not insult anybody. I cross-checked the votes and proceedings, clause by clause, before I said that there were some flaws,” he explained.
He cited subtle but legally significant wording differences as examples of his concern.
“If the harmonised version says ‘this shall be,’ and the gazetted copy says ‘this will be,’ these are two different things, subject to interpretation,” he said.
The senator accused Agbese of acting on personal motives rather than institutional responsibility.
“He is hoping to be in the good books of the leadership of the House, but he has only succeeded in embarrassing himself and the House of Representatives,” Ndume said.
“He is not speaking for the House because the House has yet to take a position on this matter.”
Ndume called for a transparent, side-by-side comparison of the different versions of the tax laws to reassure the public.
“Parliament should do a comparison and examine the sections of both versions clause by clause. This way, Nigerians will be comfortable,” he said.
Agbese, however, maintained his stance, insisting that the focus on alleged falsification was misplaced and that due process was being followed.
“This is exactly why the House set up a committee to clarify the facts,” he said. “Speculative narratives could distract from ongoing efforts to reform Nigeria’s tax system in the public interest.”
The tax legislation controversy first surfaced late last year when lawmakers, including Ndume and Rep. Abdussamad Dasuki, raised concerns about discrepancies between versions of the bills circulated during plenary sessions and those transmitted for presidential assent.