President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, has firmly dismissed claims that the Tax Reform Acts passed by the National Assembly were altered after approval. Speaking on Wednesday, he made it clear that the laws remain exactly as lawmakers passed them.
According to Akpabio, there has been no adulteration of the legislation. He described the rumours as misleading and capable of causing unnecessary confusion among lawmakers and the public.
To clear the air, Akpabio directed the Clerk of the Senate to distribute gazetted copies of the Tax Reform Acts to all Senators. These copies have already been signed into law by President Bola Tinubu.
He also confirmed that the Acts were certified by the Clerk of the National Assembly. This certification, he said, makes them the only authentic versions in existence.
In simple terms, if the document did not come from the Clerk, it is not the real one.
Akpabio explained that the move was necessary to stop the spread of fake or altered documents. According to him, some versions in circulation do not reflect what both chambers of the National Assembly harmonised and passed.
He warned Senators not to download, share, or rely on any document from unofficial sources. “No be everything wey dey fly for WhatsApp be correct,” was the message he passed across, even if not in those exact words.
The Senate President urged all Senators to study only the certified copies issued by the Clerk. Any other version, he said, does not represent the law as passed by the National Assembly or assented to by the President.
This directive, he added, is key to protecting the integrity of the legislative process and maintaining public trust.
The Tax Reform Acts are critical to Nigeria’s economic direction. Any doubt about their content can create tension, confusion, and misinformation. By releasing certified copies, the Senate aims to calm nerves and set the record straight.
For now, Akpabio’s message is loud and clear: the law is intact, the process was clean, and only the certified documents count.
In a season of rumours and speculation, the Senate has chosen clarity. And in Nigerian parlance, that means: make we face facts and move on.
