President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has declined to assent to two bills passed by the National Assembly, citing constitutional authority and concerns over flaws identified in the proposed legislation. The Senate was formally informed of the President’s decision during plenary on Thursday after Senate President Godswill Akpabio read two separate letters from Tinubu conveying his refusal to sign the bills into law.
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 (Establishment) Amendment Bill. Tinubu said his decision was taken in line with Section 58(4) of the 1999 Constitution, which empowers the President to withhold assent and return bills to the National Assembly for reconsideration.
In his letter on the Raw Materials Research and Development Council (Amendment) Bill, the President pointed out several structural and drafting issues which he said made the legislation unsuitable for approval in its current form.
Tinubu argued that the bill’s long title failed to clearly capture its main objective of promoting the development, protection, and processing of Nigeria’s raw materials. He said the title should explicitly reflect the intention of the amendment to support raw material development, local manufacturing, and processing industries.
The President also faulted provisions in Section 2 of the bill, noting that the functions of the council were wrongly presented as the objectives of the legislation. According to him, objectives should outline policy goals rather than serve as enforceable provisions.
He further criticised the placement of new operational provisions on value addition to raw materials, saying they were inserted incorrectly between sections dealing with the council’s financial matters and annual accounts.
“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,” Tinubu stated.
Following the communication, Akpabio referred the matter to the Senate Committee on Rules and Business for further legislative consideration.
On the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply Management of Nigeria Bill, Tinubu acknowledged that several proposed amendments were positive but raised concerns over provisions he said attempted to grant the institute regulatory powers beyond its legal mandate.
The President specifically objected to Clause 8 of the bill, which proposed inserting new sub-clauses into Section 11 of the principal Act. He said one of the provisions requiring organisations to notify the institute within one month of appointing heads of procurement and supply chain was inappropriate.
According to Tinubu, the institute lacked the statutory authority to impose such obligations on independent organisations that may not even be members of the body.
“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,” the president stated.
He also rejected provisions that would allow the institute to inspect organisations, penalise employers, and enforce compliance measures on companies regulated under the Companies and Allied Matters Act (CAMA), describing such powers as beyond its statutory responsibility.
However, Tinubu indicated that he was open to approving the bill if the identified concerns were addressed.
“Subject to the correction of the above issues, the Bill may be suitable for retransmission for assent,” he said.
After the letter was read, the Senate President again referred the matter to the Rules and Business Committee and directed it to submit its recommendations within one month.
Under Section 58(4) of the 1999 Constitution, the President has the power to withhold assent to bills passed by the National Assembly and return them with observations. The legislature may either amend the proposed law in line with the President’s recommendations or override the veto through the constitutional process.
