Tax Reform Bills: Confusion in Reps as APC caucus aborts planned meeting

Ahead of Tuesday resumption of plenary by the House of Representatives, indications have emerged that the initiative by the leadership of the House to push for a common position on the proposed legislation, the Tax Reforms Bills, has suffered a setback.

The Nigerian Tribune reliably learnt on Sunday that a meeting of the APC Caucus fixed for today (Monday), has been aborted.

The proposed Tax Reform Bills, with four components: the Joint Revenue Board of Nigeria (Establishment) Bill, 2024; the Nigeria Revenue Service (Establishment) Bill, 2024; the Nigeria Tax Administration Bill, 2024-SB.585; and the Nigeria Tax Bill, 2024;  currently before the National Assembly, passed Second Reading on the floor of the Senate last Thursday.

Multiple sources said the invite for the meeting signed by the House Leader, Honourable (Professor) Julius Ihonvbere, was silent on the controversial bills as the agenda of the aborted meeting.

But, it gave a hint that the meeting was “aimed at fostering unity and deliberating on key legislative priorities”

The internal memo, circulated to all House members of the  APC, with the title: Invitation to APC Caucus Dinner, read in part: “This is to cordially invite all Honourable members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the House of Representatives to a Caucus Dinner aimed at fostering unity and deliberating on key legislative priorities.

“As Honourable members of the ruling party in the 10th Assembly, this dinner provides a unique platform to address pressing national issues, including economic reforms, security challenges, and the implementation of the Renewed Hope agenda. Your input and engagement are critical to aligning our legislative efforts with party priorities and the expectations of Nigerians.

“We look forward to your participation in this important event.”

Further checks indicated that the meeting was hurriedly shelved in a piece of fresh information conveyed to members and signed by Honourable Akin Rotimi, Jnr, who is the House spokesman.

Rotimi, who announced the postponement, was silent on the reason for the postponement was postponed.

He said: “I am directed to notify you of the postponement of the referenced meeting till further notice.

“Leadership has asked that I thank you for your kind considerations as always and to assure that a new date of meeting will be announced in due course.

“Thanks and kind regards.”

Sources within the Green Chamber, however, told the Nigerian Tribune that the sudden postponement was in deference to the growing agitation against the bills by the northern leaders, who have since co-opted lawmakers from the region.

Fresh information available to the Nigerian Tribune also showed that the Clerk of the House, Dr Yahaya Danzaria, has announced an indefinite postponement on special session on the vexed bills.

A memo addressed to all lawmakers in the Green Chamber at the weekend, titled: Rescheduling of Special Session on Tax Reform Bills,offered the “need for further and broader consultations with all relevant stakeholders,” as reason for shelving the session fixed for tomorrow (Tuesday).

It read in part:”I am directed by the House Leadership to inform all Honourable Members that the Special Session, initially scheduled for Tuesday, 3rd December, 2024, to discuss all the Tax Reform Bills, has been postponed to a later date.

“This rescheduling is due to the need for further and broader consultations with all relevant stakeholders.

“A new date and venue for the session will be communicated in due course. We regret any inconvenience this may cause and appreciate your understanding.

“Good evening Honourable Members.”

It would be recalled that aside the Northern Elders Forum, (NEF), governors from the region have equally kicked against the proposed legislation, which they claimed was inimical to the economic interest and development of the North.

“The promoters of the APC Caucus meeting might have got wind of a likely showdown from Northern lawmakers and therefore decided to shelve the meeting,” a lawmaker, who craved not to be named, told the Nigerian Tribune.

He, however, said the Presidency is making inroads into the camp of lawmakers from the North, using certain members as arrowheads.

The source cited Honourable Abdulmumin Jibrin, representing Kiru/Bebeji Federal Constituency of Kano State, as a foot soldier of the Presidency talking to his colleagues from the North to support the proposed legislation.

Incidentally, Honourable Jibrin belongs to the opposition New Nigerian Peoples Party ( NNPP).

 

Crack in South?

In the face of bold opposition coming the way of the Tax Reform Bills from the North, across parties divide, there appears to be no galvanising forces from their southern counterpart with many lawmakers showing indifference.

A lawmaker from the South-West attributed the lukewarm attitude to what he described as the shabby treatment from the leadership of the House and the use-and-dump tactics allegedly by the party and the Presidency.

While lamenting distribution of privileged committee positions to northern lawmakers and even from colleagues in the opposition parties, he said their complaints have been consistently rebuffed by a former Speaker of the House of Representatives, who now holds a strategic position in the Presidency.

He said: “The presidency, its handlers and the APC leadership should have themselves to blame for this obvious indifference by APC lawmakers in the face of strident opposition against the Tax Reform Bills from the North.

“Some of us thought they have the magic wand and they have the monopoly of wisdom to handle everything. They made all of us angry and beggarly even before opposition lawmakers, who are in charge of more juicy committees.

“Some of us, even though we are in the ruling party in the House, go to beg and remain like pupils before lawmakers from the minority parties for survival.

“Now, the same people they empowered are either keeping quiet or, in some cases, covertly inciting the North against the Bill. So, while the entire North is against the bill across party lines, most of us from the South are either indifferent or lukewarm, because there is no reason to chest out for those who have lived like Lords over others.

“Let the Lagos cabal defend the bills since they have everything to themselves. Let those they have empowered in the opposition parties come and defend them.

“How many times have Presidency handlers made any serious moves to meet with us in the APC Caucus or even in the Southern or South-West Caucus?”

 

 APC NWC mum

Amid the growing agitation against the legislation from the North, Nigerian Tribune discovered that there is no move by the All Progressives Congress (APC) National Working Committee (NWC), led by Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, to hold consultations with its caucus in both chambers of Parliament towards whipping into line «rebellious” lawmakers in its fold.

A member of the NWC of the party, who spoke to the Nigerian Tribune, but pleaded not to be named, said APC leadership is not interested in meddling in what he described as a pure legislative process.

While acknowledging that the APC is in a majority in both chambers, he insisted that there was nothing to worry about.

He said, “It is purely a legislative thing. In a democratic process, the lawmakers should be allowed to do their work. There is no point threatening to rein in anybody.

“I am not sure the President, who is the Leader of the party, is desperate about it. Yes, it is an Executive Bill, but he has said he would allow the lawmakers to do their work.

“Don’t forget that he also has the powers to decline presidential assent to bills coming from the National Assembly on matters they feel strongly about when he thinks the interests of the nation won’t be served. So, I think the executive-legislative relationship has always been mutually beneficial. There is no cause for alarm,” he told the Nigerian Tribune.

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