The House of Representatives has dismissed reports alleging that its Minority Caucus set up an ad hoc committee to re-examine the newly enacted tax laws and issued an interim report, describing the move as procedurally improper and without institutional backing.
In a statement on Sunday, House Spokesman Rep. Akin Rotimi clarified that, under the House Standing Orders, only the House in plenary or the Speaker has the authority to constitute an ad hoc committee with 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 stated.
While acknowledging that political caucuses play legitimate roles in consultation and policy coordination, the House stressed that such groups do not have investigative or oversight powers. Any action taken by a caucus in this regard, the statement noted, is informal, non-binding, and without legal or institutional consequence.
The House further explained that any report generated by a caucus-led body cannot be presented before the House, recognised as a parliamentary document, or form part of the official legislative record of the National Assembly.
Rotimi recalled that in December 2025, the House had already constituted a bipartisan ad hoc committee in response to concerns raised by an opposition lawmaker over multiple documents claiming to be official gazettes of the tax legislation. That committee, he said, was properly constituted in line with the Standing Orders and remains active, with its report to be presented upon completion.
He added that the National Assembly has since published the official Gazette and issued Certified True Copies of the tax laws, effectively concluding the legislative process and giving the laws full legal effect.
“The National Assembly has also formally disowned any unofficial documents in circulation, reiterating that only the gazetted versions and duly certified copies constitute authentic legislative instruments,” Rotimi said.
The spokesman warned that setting up parallel caucus-led committees and circulating purported findings could create public confusion over an issue that has already been institutionally resolved.
Reaffirming the House’s commitment to transparency and due process, Rotimi urged the public to treat any such committee or report as a political initiative rather than an official action of the House of Representatives.
