The move adds further weight to June 12, already recognised as Democracy Day in honour of the annulled 1993 presidential election
Democracy Day: June 12 Becomes Official Presidential Address Day
In a historic move aligning with Nigeria’s Democracy Day celebrations, the National Assembly has officially designated June 12 as the annual day for the President to address a joint session of the legislature.
The formal adoption took place on Thursday during a special sitting at the National Assembly Complex in Abuja, where President Bola Tinubu delivered a commemorative Democracy Day address.
Presiding over the session, Senate President Godswill Akpabio confirmed the resolution following a motion raised by Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas.
“Mr President, in the eloquent speech by the Honourable Speaker Tajudeen Abbas, he raised a motion that June 12 should be formalised as the Presidential Day of Address to the joint session of the National Assembly. I hereby put the question,” Akpabio declared, prompting a vocal vote from lawmakers.
“Those in support of the motion, moved and seconded, say ‘Aye’; those against say ‘Nay’. The ‘Ayes’ have it,” he ruled.
Turning to President Tinubu, Akpabio added, “Mr President, that is the motion of the National Assembly, done in your presence. Mr Speaker, the statistics do not lie—we are quite happy with the data you rolled out and the House that we all run.”
The move adds further weight to June 12, already recognised as Democracy Day in honour of the annulled 1993 presidential election widely considered Nigeria’s freest and fairest.
Just days earlier, on June 10, Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele had hinted at the plan during a media chat, revealing that legislation to institutionalise the address was imminent.
“We are hoping to bring a bill soon to institutionalise the President’s address on June 12 because of its historical importance. 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,” Bamidele said.
He also revealed an additional provision in the draft bill: to make the National Assembly complex the official venue for future presidential swearing-in ceremonies.
“In that bill, we are hoping to ensure that the swearing-in ceremony of the next President and Commander-in-Chief of Nigeria—whom we believe will be President Bola Ahmed Tinubu—will be held within the arcade of the National Assembly,” he stated. Read More
