President Bola Tinubu has declined assent to two bills passed by the National Assembly, citing constitutional concerns, drafting errors and provisions he said exceeded statutory mandates.
The Senate was formally notified of the President’s decision on Thursday through separate letters read during the plenary by the President of the Senate, 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 (Establishment) Amendment Bill.
In the communications, Tinubu said he was withholding assent pursuant to Section 58(4) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), which empowers the President to return bills to the National Assembly with observations.
Explaining his decision on the Raw Materials Research and Development Council (RMRDC) Amendment Bill, the President said the legislation contained structural and drafting deficiencies that rendered it unsuitable for assent in its present form.
He noted that the bill’s long title failed to adequately capture its principal policy objective of promoting the development, protection and processing of Nigeria’s raw materials.
According to the President, the title should expressly indicate that the proposed amendment seeks to provide for the development and protection of Nigeria’s raw materials as well as support local manufacturing and processing industries.
Tinubu also identified inconsistencies in Section 2 of the bill, arguing that it erroneously presented the Council’s operational functions as legislative objectives.
He explained that objectives are intended to state policy goals and are not enforceable provisions, whereas the bill improperly merged them with substantive functions of the Council.
The President further faulted the insertion of new provisions on value addition to raw materials between existing sections dealing with the Council’s finances and annual accounts.
According to him, the placement of the new provisions disrupted the structure of the principal Act and created confusion.
“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 reading of the letter, Akpabio referred the communication to the Senate Committee on Rules and Business for further legislative action.
Tinubu also withheld assent to the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply Management of Nigeria (Establishment) Amendment Bill, saying some of its provisions sought to confer regulatory powers on the Institute beyond its legal mandate.
While acknowledging that most of the proposed amendments were commendable, the President specifically objected to provisions seeking to insert new sub-sections into Section 11 of the principal Act.
One of the provisions, he noted, would require incorporated entities and organisations to notify the Institute within one month of appointing a head of procurement and supply chain.
President Tinubu argued that such a requirement was untenable 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,” he said.
The President also rejected provisions empowering the Institute to inspect organisations, sanction employers and enforce compliance measures on entities registered under the Companies and Allied Matters Act (CAMA).
According to him, such powers exceed the Institute’s statutory authority. He however, indicated that the legislation could be reconsidered for assent once the identified issues are addressed.
“Subject to the correction of the above issues, the Bill may be suitable for retransmission for assent,” he stated.
After reading the second communication, Akpabio referred both presidential messages to the Senate Committee on Rules and Business and directed the panel to report back to the Senate within four weeks.
Under Section 58(4) of the Constitution, the President may decline assent to bills passed by the National Assembly and return them with observations for reconsideration.
The legislature may subsequently amend the bills in line with the President’s recommendations or seek to override the presidential veto in accordance with constitutional provisions.
Other communications received from the President included the National Senior Secondary Education Commission Amendment Bill, and a bill seeking to repeal and re-enact the existing Administration of Criminal Justice Act.
(The Whistler)