President Bola Tinubu has declined to sign into law two bills passed by Nigeria’s National Assembly, citing constitutional concerns and drafting deficiencies that he said must be addressed before the proposed legislation can take effect.
The Senate was formally notified of the president’s decision on Thursday through two letters read during plenary by Senate President Godswill Akpabio.
The measures affected are the Raw Materials Research and Development Council (Amendment) Bill, 2026 and the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply Management of Nigeria Bill.
Invoking Section 58(4) of the 1999 Constitution, which empowers the president to return legislation to parliament with observations, Tinubu said both bills required further legislative scrutiny before they could receive presidential assent.
In his objections to the Raw Materials Research and Development Council (Amendment) Bill, Tinubu argued that the legislation suffered from structural inconsistencies and poor drafting that obscured its purpose.
He said the bill’s long title failed to reflect its central objective of promoting the development, protection and processing of Nigeria’s raw materials, adding that it should more clearly emphasise support for local manufacturing and value addition.
The president also criticised provisions setting out the council’s functions, saying they were drafted as broad legislative objectives rather than operational responsibilities, creating confusion over the agency’s statutory role.
He further pointed to what he described as misplaced amendments within the legislation, noting that provisions dealing with value addition had been inserted between sections covering the council’s finances and annual accounts.
“These erroneous insertions make the Bill incoherent and difficult to comprehend within the context of the Principal Act,” Tinubu wrote. “Accordingly, the Bill as currently proposed is disjointed.”
The president similarly withheld assent to the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply Management of Nigeria Bill, arguing that several provisions sought to confer regulatory powers beyond the institute’s legal mandate.
While acknowledging that many of the proposed amendments were constructive, Tinubu said aspects of the legislation required reconsideration by lawmakers.
Among his objections was a provision requiring incorporated companies and other organisations to notify the institute within one month of appointing a head of procurement and supply chain.
Tinubu argued that such a requirement was legally unsustainable because the institute was not the statutory regulator of those entities.
“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 wrote.
He also rejected clauses that would empower the institute to inspect organisations, impose sanctions on employers and exercise compliance functions over companies registered under the Companies and Allied Matters Act, saying those powers exceeded its statutory authority.
Despite withholding assent, the president indicated that neither proposal had been rejected outright. He said both could be returned for his signature once the identified shortcomings had been addressed.
“Subject to the correction of the above issues, the Bill may be suitable for retransmission for assent,” he said.
Following the reading of the president’s letters, Akpabio referred both communications to the Senate Committee on Rules and Business for further legislative action, directing the committee to report back within four weeks.
Under Nigeria’s constitution, the president may refuse assent to legislation and return it to parliament for reconsideration. Lawmakers may amend a bill in line with the president’s recommendations or, if they secure the required constitutional majority, override the presidential veto.
