The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has petitioned the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB), calling for a full-scale investigation into alleged irregularities in the passage of the Electoral Act Amendment Bill and Tax Reform Laws by members of the National Assembly and other public officers.
The call was contained in a petition dated February 7, 2026, and signed by SERAP Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, urging the CCB to act within seven days or face potential legal action.
According to the petition, SERAP alleged that certain Senators secretly removed provisions relating to the electronic transmission of election results from the Electoral Act Amendment Bill, despite a majority vote for its inclusion.
“According to our information, certain members of the Senate allegedly removed the provisions… during plenary after the majority of the senators had voted for the inclusion of the provisions and without any debate on the proposed removal,” SERAP stated.
The group said the alleged conduct violated constitutional due process and raised concerns of possible abuse of office and conflict of interest.
The petition also cited discrepancies between the harmonised tax reform bills passed by the National Assembly and the gazetted copies signed into law by the Federal Government.
SERAP referenced a motion raised by Sokoto lawmaker, Abdussamad Dasuki, who, under a matter of privilege, alerted the House to material differences in the final versions.
“The alterations contained in the gazetted copies did not receive legislative approval. These alleged unlawful alterations raise questions over the legality and legitimacy of both the law-making processes and the versions of the tax laws circulated by the Federal Ministry of Information,” the group said.
In response to earlier reports, the Senate denied removing the provision on electronic transmission, clarifying that it only deleted the phrase “real-time” due to potential judicial challenges.
Meanwhile, the National Assembly has launched its own internal probe into the Tax Reform Law discrepancies and released a “certified” version of the Acts to resolve the controversy. The new tax laws officially took effect on January 1, 2026.
SERAP maintained that the actions of both lawmakers and executive officers may have violated the Code of Conduct for Public Officers, citing conflict of interest, abuse of power, and lack of transparency.
“The petition raises issues of conflict of interest, abuse of office, non-disclosure of interests, lack of due process, and erosion of the Code of Conduct for Public Officers in the exercise of legislative power,” the petition reads.
The organisation specifically asked the Bureau to formally register and act on the petition, investigate whether inducements, benefits, or promises were made, determine if there was abuse of legislative and executive powers and refer confirmed violations to the Code of Conduct Tribunal.
“Public officers must not place themselves in situations where personal interests conflict with official duties,” SERAP stressed.
The petition was addressed to the Chairman of the CCB, Mr Abdullahi Bello, and warns that SERAP will initiate legal proceedings if the Bureau fails to respond within seven days.