In a bid to further entrench democratic values and practices in Nigeria, the National Assembly has unveiled plans to introduce a bill mandating that all future Presidents of the country be sworn in at the arcade of the National Assembly.
This initiative was disclosed by the Senate Leader, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, during an interactive session with journalists on Tuesday in Abuja as part of activities marking the 2025 Democracy Day celebration.
Senator Bamidele also revealed that the legislature would soon reintroduce a bill to institutionalize an annual State of the Nation Address by the President before a joint session of the National Assembly. The proposed legislation aims to make June 12 Nigeria’s Democracy Day the designated date for this important address.
“It is our desire to institutionalise the State of the Nation Address. We will bring a bill to address it and ensure it becomes a tradition. Nigerians should look forward to it,” Bamidele said.
He added that the leadership of the National Assembly is already working in collaboration with President Bola Tinubu on this initiative.
“There is no better date than June 12 for the President to address the nation because of its historical significance. It is a joint sitting of the National Assembly, and Nigerians should anticipate this important legislative initiative,” he emphasized.
Bamidele further stated that the National Assembly is committed to reforming the political culture in the country. “We are also hoping to change our political setting to the extent that the swearing-in of the next President and Commander-in-Chief of the Federal Republic of Nigeria will, by the grace of God, be conducted at the arcade of the National Assembly.”
This year’s Democracy Day celebration will witness President Tinubu addressing a joint session of the Senate and House of Representatives at the National Assembly Complex on Thursday, June 12, 2025.
Democracy Day is observed annually in honour of the late Chief MKO Abiola, the presumed winner of the annulled June 12, 1993, presidential election widely regarded as the freest and fairest in Nigeria’s political history.
