Press Statement By The Supreme Council For Shari’ah In Nigeria (SCSN) On Alleged Discrepancies In The Gazetted Tax Reform Bills

The Supreme Council for Shari’ah in Nigeria (SCSN) has followed with deep concern, developments on the floor of the National Assembly, where Hon. Abdulsamad Dasuki, a duly elected member of the House of Representatives, raised an alarm over disturbing discrepancies between the tax reform bills passed by the National Assembly and the versions subsequently gazetted and presented to the Nigerian public.

The Council notes with utmost seriousness, the allegation that additional clauses and other substantial material alterations appearing in the gazetted tax laws signed by the President were neither debated nor approved by the National Assembly. If established, this represents a grave and egregious constitutional infraction with far-reaching implications for democracy, governance, economic stability, and public trust.

Given the profound impact of tax legislation on the lives, livelihoods of ordinary citizens, businesses, and religious, social, and economic obligations of Nigerians, the Supreme Council for Shari’ah in Nigeria actively monitored and contributed immensely throughout the legislative process of considering these tax reform bills at the National Assembly. Our engagements were guided by the need to ensure fairness, equity, transparency, constitutional compliance, and protection of the public interest.

The Council is therefore shocked and deeply disturbed by allegations on the floor of the House of Representatives that what Nigerians collectively debated, scrutinised, and agreed upon through their elected representatives may have been altered at the executive level. Such action, if established ,tantamounts to tampering with the sovereign will of the Nigerian people and undermines the very foundation of constitutional governance.

Accordingly, we hereby call on all stakeholders, in particular, the leadership of the National Assembly – the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Tajuddeen Abbas, and the President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio to rise to their constitutional responsibilities by ensuring that these claims are transparently examined and appropriate actions taken before the commencement of the Tax Laws, on the 1st of January, 2026. Nigerians deserve respect, transparency, and fidelity to due process. Members of the National Assembly must be allowed, without hindrance, to conduct a critical, open, and transparent comparison between the harmonised bills passed by both chambers and the versions that were eventually gazetted, in order to establish the nature, extent, and impact of any alterations.

The consequences of such alleged infractions are grave. They include erosion of public confidence in democratic institutions, weakening of the doctrine of separation of powers, exposure of the affected laws to constitutional challenges, economic uncertainty, and loss of investor confidence. Most critically, they set a dangerous precedent where laws become negotiable instruments rather than binding outcomes of democratic deliberation.

Tax laws, by their compulsory nature, demand the highest level of constitutional integrity and procedural fidelity. Nigerians cannot be expected to comply with fiscal obligations arising from laws whose authenticity and legislative origin are in doubt. The Council therefore urges that this matter be treated with urgency, sincerity, and transparency in order to preserve constitutional order, protect institutional credibility, and reaffirm the supremacy of the Nigerian Constitution.

Nigeria’s democracy must not be undermined by executive overreach or procedural shortcuts. The will of the people, as expressed through the National Assembly, must be respected and defended.

Sgd: Nafiu Baba-Ahmad, mni, Secretary General, Supreme Council for Shari’ah in Nigeria (SCSN)