Senate Pushes for Annual Presidential Address on June 12, Possible Venue Shift for Inaugurations

The Nigerian Senate wants to make it official, every June 12, the President should address the nation. Not just through a press release or social media, but formally, right from the halls of the National Assembly.

Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele made this known during a chat with reporters on Tuesday. He said the Senate is working on a bill to institutionalise the annual address, recognizing the deep meaning June 12 holds in Nigeria’s democratic journey.

“There can’t be a better time to speak to Nigerians through the parliament than on June 12,” Bamidele said, noting that the occasion would coincide with a joint session of the Senate and House of Representatives.

That’s not all. The proposed bill may also shift future presidential inauguration ceremonies from Eagles Square to the National Assembly complex.

If the plan goes through, Bamidele said, “The next President—and we believe that will still be President Bola Ahmed Tinubu—would be sworn in right within the grounds of the National Assembly.”

In addition to these symbolic moves, the Senate is reviewing the 2024 budget to see how far implementation has gone, especially on capital projects. There’s a good chance the deadline for spending the 2024 capital budget will be extended, while work on the 2025 budget continues.

Bamidele, who’s also Vice Chairman of the Constitution Review Committee, gave a quick update on the ongoing constitutional amendment process. He admitted it’s been slow, but progress is being made. “We’ve done almost 70 percent of the work,” he said. The plan is to hold zonal public hearings soon before hosting a national one in collaboration with the House of Reps.

For context, June 12 is more than just a date—it’s the anniversary of the 1993 presidential election, widely seen as the freest in Nigeria’s history, which was later annulled by the military government led by Ibrahim Babangida. The presumed winner, MKO Abiola, never took office.

In 2018, President Muhammadu Buhari officially moved Democracy Day to June 12 to honour Abiola and recognize the significance of that moment in Nigeria’s democratic story.