President Bola Tinubu has declined assent to two bills passed by the National Assembly, citing constitutional and legislative defects that require correction before they can become law.

The President’s decision was conveyed to the Senate through two separate letters read during plenary on Thursday 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.

Tinubu said his decision was in accordance with Section 58(4) of the 1999 Constitution, which empowers the President to withhold assent to bills and return them to the National Assembly with observations for reconsideration.

On the Raw Materials Research and Development Council (Amendment) Bill, the President said the proposed legislation contained structural and drafting issues that affected its clarity and implementation.

He noted that the long title of the bill did not properly capture its objective of promoting the development, protection and processing of Nigeria’s raw materials.

According to him, the title should clearly reflect provisions aimed at developing and protecting raw materials while supporting local manufacturing and processing industries.

Tinubu also identified inconsistencies in Section 2 of the bill, saying it wrongly presented the council’s functions as legislative objectives rather than operational responsibilities.

He further faulted the placement of some provisions relating to value addition of raw materials, describing them as improperly inserted and making the bill 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 said.

On the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply Management of Nigeria Bill, Tinubu said some provisions sought to extend the powers of the institute beyond its statutory mandate.

While acknowledging the importance of several proposed amendments, he said some clauses required further legislative review.

The President specifically objected to a provision requiring incorporated entities and organisations to notify the institute within one month of appointing heads of procurement and supply chain.

He argued that the requirement was inappropriate because the institute does not serve as the statutory regulator of such 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 rejected provisions granting the institute powers to inspect organisations, sanction employers and enforce compliance on entities established under the Companies and Allied Matters Act.

According to him, such powers exceeded the legal authority of the institute.

However, Tinubu said the bill could be reconsidered for assent once the identified concerns are 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 letters, Akpabio referred both matters to the Senate Committee on Rules and Business for further legislative action and directed the committee to report back within four weeks.

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 for reconsideration.