The Nigerian Senate is set to introduce legislation to institutionalise the annual presidential address on June 12, the country’s Democracy Day, and designate the National Assembly as the venue for future presidential inaugurations.
This was revealed on Tuesday by the Senate Leader, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele (APC, Ekiti Central), during a press briefing at the National Assembly complex in Abuja.
The lawmaker said the proposed bill seeks to recognise the historical and symbolic importance of June 12 by ensuring that future presidents address the nation through the parliament on that date.
“We are hoping to bring a bill soon to institutionalise the President’s address on June 12 because of its historical importance,” Bamidele said.
“There can’t be a better time to address the nation through the parliament than on June 12, especially since it is a joint sitting of the National Assembly.”
June 12 was officially designated as Democracy Day in 2018 by former President Muhammadu Buhari to honour the annulled June 12, 1993 presidential election, widely regarded as the freest and fairest in Nigeria’s history, and believed to have been won by Chief Moshood Kashimawo Olawale (MKO) Abiola.
The day has since become a symbol of Nigeria’s democratic journey and the sacrifices made for civil rule.
As part of this year’s celebrations, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is expected to address a joint session of the National Assembly at noon on Wednesday.
According to the Clerk of the House of Representatives, Dr Yahaya Danzaria, the session will take place in the House of Representatives Chamber and begin at 11:00 a.m. with preliminary proceedings.
“President Tinubu is expected to attend the occasion as a special guest of honour and will deliver a presidential address to the joint sitting,” Danzaria said in an earlier statement.
The ceremony will also feature goodwill messages from former presiding officers of the National Assembly and the conferment of national honours on select legislators by the President.
In a further bid to entrench democratic values and parliamentary visibility, Senator Bamidele disclosed that the proposed bill will also seek to move future presidential inaugurations from Eagle Square to the National Assembly complex.
“We are hoping, in that bill, to ensure that the swearing-in ceremony of the next president and commander-in-chief of Nigeria, whom we believe is President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, will be held within the arcade of the National Assembly,” Bamidele stated.
In addition to legislative plans for Democracy Day, Senator Bamidele noted that the Senate is also considering an extension of the implementation period for the 2024 budget, particularly its capital expenditure components.
“We have to sit and assess the full implementation of the 2024 budget,” he said. “We will extend the capital expenditure timeline while ensuring the 2025 budget is fully implemented.”
The move is intended to allow ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs) more time to complete capital projects, especially those affected by delayed disbursements and procurement bottlenecks.
On constitutional reforms, Senator Bamidele, who also serves as Vice Chairman of the Constitution Review Committee, admitted that the process has been slower than expected but assured Nigerians that it is well underway.
“We’ve done almost 70 per cent of the work before going public,” he said. “Before the end of the third legislative year, we intend to complete the constitutional amendment process.”
He said the committee would hold zonal public hearings in the coming weeks, followed by a joint national hearing coordinated by both chambers of the National Assembly.
