Tomiwa Olanbiwoninu
The Nigerian Senate is set to introduce legislation that will make the annual presidential address on June 12 — Nigeria’s Democracy Day — a permanent feature of the country’s democratic calendar.
Senate Majority Leader, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, made this known on Tuesday while addressing journalists at the National Assembly complex in Abuja.
He said the bill, when presented, would require the President to address a joint session of the National Assembly every June 12.
According to him, the move is aimed at reinforcing the historic and symbolic significance of the day, which commemorates the annulled June 12, 1993, presidential election — widely regarded as Nigeria’s freest and fairest election — and believed to have been won by the late Chief Moshood Kashimawo Olawale (MKO) Abiola.
“We are hoping to bring a bill soon to institutionalise the President’s address on June 12 because of its historical importance,” Bamidele said.
P“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.”
Beyond the presidential address, the proposed bill will also seek to make the National Assembly ceremonial arcade the official venue for future presidential swearing-in ceremonies.
“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,” he added.
Speaking further, the Senate Leader revealed that the Red Chamber is also considering an extension to the implementation period of the 2024 budget, especially for capital projects, to ensure they are fully executed before the commencement of the 2025 fiscal year.
“We have to sit and assess the full implementation of the 2024 budget,” Bamidele stated. “We will further extend the capital expenditure timeline while ensuring that the 2025 budget is fully implemented.”
Bamidele, who also serves as Vice Chairman of the Senate Constitution Review Committee, provided updates on the ongoing constitution amendment process.
He disclosed that the committee had completed about 70 per cent of its work and would soon begin public hearings across the country’s six geopolitical zones.
“Before the end of the third legislative year, we intend to complete the constitution amendment process,” he said.
June 12 was designated Nigeria’s official Democracy Day in 2018 by former President Muhammadu Buhari, replacing May 29.
The change was a symbolic effort to recognise the significance of the 1993 election and honour MKO Abiola’s democratic legacy.
In a recent twist to the historical narrative, former military Head of State, General Ibrahim Babangida, in his 2025 memoir, admitted for the first time that Abiola indeed won the annulled 1993 election — a long-awaited acknowledgment that has further deepened the symbolic importance of June 12.
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