Tinubu Rejects Two N’Assembly Bills, Cites Constitutional and Drafting Errors

By Victor Idajili

President Bola Tinubu on Thursday declined assent to two bills passed by the National Assembly, saying they contain constitutional flaws and drafting problems that must be fixed before they can become law.

The decision was communicated to the Senate in two separate letters read on the floor by Senate President Godswill Akpabio.

The bills affected are the Raw Materials Research and Development Council (Amendment) Bill, 2026 and the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply Management of Nigeria Bill.

Tinubu said he was withholding assent under Section 58(4) of the 1999 Constitution, which allows the President to return bills to the National Assembly with observations for reconsideration.

On the Raw Materials bill, the President said the legislation suffers from structural and drafting defects.

He noted that the bill’s long title does not properly capture its main goal of promoting the development, protection and processing of Nigeria’s raw materials.  
“The title should clearly state that the amendment seeks to provide for the development and protection of Nigeria’s raw materials, while also supporting local manufacturing and processing industries,” Tinubu said.

He also faulted Section 2 for confusing policy objectives with the council’s operational functions. According to him, legislative objectives should outline broad policy goals, not list specific agency duties.

The President further pointed out that provisions on value addition were wrongly placed between sections on finances and annual accounts, making the bill “disjointed” and hard to understand.  
“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,” he stated.

For the Chartered Institute bill, Tinubu said while many of the proposed amendments are good, some provisions overreach the institute’s mandate.

He specifically rejected the proposed amendment to Clause 8, which seeks to add new sub-clauses 10 to 15 to Section 11 of the principal Act.

One of the new provisions would compel all incorporated entities to notify the institute within one month of appointing a head of procurement.  
“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 argued.

He also objected to clauses giving the institute power to inspect organisations, sanction employers, and enforce compliance on companies registered under CAMA, saying those powers go beyond its legal authority.

The President however said the bill could still be signed into law after corrections.  
“Subject to the correction of the above issues, the Bill may be suitable for retransmission for assent,” he said.

After the letters were read, Akpabio referred both communications to the Senate Committee on Rules and Business and directed it to report back within four weeks.