PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu on Thursday declined assent to two bills passed by the National Assembly, citing constitutional concerns, drafting errors and provisions that require correction before the proposed legislations can become law.
News Point Nigeria reports that the President’s decision was communicated to the Senate through two separate letters read on the floor of the chamber by Senate President Godswill Akpabio.
The affected legislations are the Raw Materials Research and Development Council (Amendment) Bill, 2026 and the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply Management of Nigeria Bill.
In both communications, Tinubu said he withheld his assent in accordance with Section 58(4) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), which empowers the President to decline assent to bills and return them to the National Assembly with observations for reconsideration.
Explaining his decision on the Raw Materials Research and Development Council (Amendment) Bill, the President said the proposed legislation contained structural and drafting deficiencies that must be addressed before it could be signed into law.
Tinubu noted that the long title of the bill failed to sufficiently capture its main objective of promoting the development, protection and processing of Nigeria’s raw materials.
According to him, the title should expressly state that the amendment seeks to provide for the development and protection of Nigeria’s raw materials while supporting local manufacturing and processing industries.
The President also identified inconsistencies in Section 2 of the bill, arguing that it presented the council’s functions as legislative objectives rather than operational responsibilities.
He explained that legislative objectives are intended to define policy direction, while agency functions should clearly outline the responsibilities and activities of the institution.
Tinubu further observed that provisions relating to value addition to raw materials were inserted between sections dealing with the council’s finances and annual accounts, making the amendment difficult to interpret.
“These erroneous insertions make the Bill incoherent and difficult to comprehend within the context of the Principal Act. Accordingly, the Bill as currently proposed is disjointed,” the President stated.
On the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply Management of Nigeria Bill, Tinubu said some of its provisions attempted to confer powers on the institute beyond its statutory mandate.
While acknowledging that several proposed amendments were commendable, the President said certain areas required further legislative review before the bill could receive presidential approval.
He specifically raised concerns over the proposed amendment to Clause 8, which seeks to introduce new sub-clauses (10) to (15) into Section 11 of the principal Act.
According to Tinubu, one of the proposed provisions would compel incorporated entities and organisations to notify the institute within one month of appointing a head of procurement and supply chain.
The President argued that such a requirement was legally inappropriate because the institute is not the statutory regulator of those organisations.
“The Institute, not being the regulator, cannot force incorporated entities or organisations that are independent and perhaps not registered members of the Institute to furnish such particulars,” Tinubu stated.
He also faulted provisions that sought to empower the institute to inspect organisations, sanction employers and exercise compliance functions over entities established under the Companies and Allied Matters Act.
According to him, such powers exceeded the legal authority of the institute and required reconsideration by lawmakers.
Despite his reservations, the President indicated that the bill could still receive his assent once the identified issues were corrected.
“Subject to the correction of the above issues, the Bill may be suitable for retransmission for assent,” he said.
Following the reading of the letters, Senate President Godswill Akpabio referred both communications to the Senate Committee on Rules and Business for further legislative action.
The committee was directed to review the issues raised by the President and report back to the chamber within four weeks.
Under Section 58(4) of the 1999 Constitution, the President has the power to withhold assent to any bill passed by the National Assembly and return it with observations for reconsideration.
The National Assembly may either amend the bill in line with the President’s recommendations or, where constitutionally permitted, override the presidential veto.