Tinubu declines assent to procurement institute, raw materials bills over legal, drafting flaws
President Bola Tinubu has declined assent to the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply Management of Nigeria (Amendment) Bill, 2026 and the Raw Materials Research and Development Council (Amendment) Bill, 2026, citing constitutional, legal and drafting concerns.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio read the president’s letters during Thursday’s plenary.
In his letter on the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply Management of Nigeria (Amendment) Bill, Tinubu noted that while many of the proposed amendments are commendable, some provisions seek to confer regulatory powers on the institute beyond its statutory mandate.
He said the bill contains clauses requiring organisations to report procurement appointments to the institute, imposing penalties on employers who appoint non-members to head procurement units, compelling organisations to notify the institute of staff removals, empowering the institute to initiate legal proceedings against non-members, and authorising inspection visits to companies.
President said the provisions amount to unreasonable restrictions.
Tinubu said the institute is not the statutory regulator of procurement practice in Nigeria and therefore lacks the authority to impose such obligations on independent organisations.
He advised the senate to review the identified provisions and retransmit the bill for assent.
After reading the letter, the senate president referred the bill to the committee on rules and business.
“The reasons given for the decline are here for the committee on rules and business to rework on. So, this should be done and returned to the senate within two weeks,” he said.
On the Raw Materials Research and Development Council (Amendment) Bill, 2026, the president said the proposed legislation failed to adequately reflect its principal objectives in its long title and contained drafting defects that should be corrected before it could receive presidential assent.
“The reasons are all here, clause by clause, so subject to the correction of the above issues, the bill may be suitable for retransmission and assent,” the letter reads.
Akpabio subsequently referred the bill to the senate committee on rules and business and directed the committee to report back to the chamber within four weeks.