President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has withheld assent to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) Bill, 2025, citing concerns over financial accountability and legal compliance.
The President’s decision was conveyed in a letter read during Thursday’s plenary session of the House of Representatives. In the letter, Tinubu invoked Section 58(4) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) to explain his refusal to sign the bill, which had been passed by both chambers of the National Assembly.
According to the President, a key provision in the proposed legislation — which would allow the NDLEA to retain a portion of proceeds from drug-related crimes — contradicts existing financial regulations and governance protocols.
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He emphasized that, under the current legal framework, “All proceeds of crime are paid into the government’s Confiscated and Forfeited Properties Account.”
He added that disbursements to any recovery agency, including the NDLEA, “can only be made by presidential approval, subject to the consent of the Federal Executive Council and the National Assembly.”
President Tinubu argued that there is no compelling justification to alter the existing process, which he described as a safeguard designed to ensure transparency and accountability through executive and legislative oversight.