Tax reform bills not suspended

The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, has said that the four tax reform bills transmitted by President Bola Tinubu to the National Assembly have not been suspended or withdrawn.

He explained that constituting a committee to liaise with a federal government delegation to resolve concerns raised on the bills does not amount to suspension or withdrawal.

Mr Akpabio said this during the plenary on Thursday, responding to a complaint by the Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, that some journalists wrongly reported the upper house’s resolutions on Wednesday.

Mr Bamidele said some media platforms reported that the bills had been suspended in the Senate following the composition of a committee to liaise with a federal government delegation on the controversial bills.

Mr Akpabio noted that since the bills passed a second reading, legislative work on them is still in progress.

“The actions have not been suspended. The bills have not been withdrawn. And the bills have passed second reading in the Senate,” he said.

The Deputy Senate President, Barau Jibrin, who presided over Wednesday’s plenary, had announced the composition of an ad hoc committee to meet with a delegation of the federal government led by the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi, to resolve the controversial areas of the proposed laws.

“It is therefore proposed that by tomorrow there will be a meeting with the committee that we’ve set up here and the leadership of the committee to sit down with the attorney general to look at those issues and resolve them.”

Mr Jibrin then suggested that the finance committee should suspend the planned public hearing until after the meeting with the government delegation.

“It is on this note that the committee on finance that the bills have been referred to should hold action on public hearing and other issues until we resolve these issues,” Mr Jibrin said.

However, Mr Akpabio’s Thursday statement indicates that the finance committee’s work would continue.

Bills are alive

Mr Bamidele, in his complaint, explained that the bills are still alive in the Senate and that they are undergoing necessary discussions and considerations at various levels

“As far as we are concerned, the tax reform bills are alive in this hallowed chamber. They are receiving consideration at various levels, and we are open to discussions, to negotiations, to interface. But let it not be said anywhere that we suspended further consideration of these bills,” he said.

The Senate leader explained that the bills could not be withdrawn by the Senate because they were executive bills.

“And also, it would be laughable for anybody to also think or say or report that the bills were withdrawn. Because, like I said, these are executive bills that can only be withdrawn by the executive and there is no reason to do so.”

He urged members of the public to be patient with the lawmakers.

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“The essence of what I am saying is that it’s important that members of the public are patient with us. They understand the legislative process that we have to follow. They understand our role in the Constitution,” he stated.

We can’t be intimidated

Mr Bamidele said members of the National Assembly will resist any intimidation from critics.

“Any attempt from any quarter to intimidate the parliament would be undemocratic, and we will not allow ourselves to be distracted.

“But we will encourage consensus. We will encourage discussions, engagement at all levels. But we cannot be bullied into adopting a certain procedure ” the senate leader said.