Senate Moves to Institutionalize Democracy Day Address, Proposes Venue Shift for Inaugurations

The Nigerian Senate is debating a bill that would move future presidential inauguration ceremonies from Eagle Square to the National Assembly Complex and require the president to deliver an annual speech on June 12 to commemorate Democracy Day.
According to reports, this was revealed by Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele during a Tuesday interview.
A national address on June 12 is intended to be “institutionalized” by the proposed measure, he said, adding that the occasion has significant historical and democratic significance for the nation.

Bamidele stated, “Given its historical significance, we hope to introduce a bill soon to institutionalize the President’s address on June 12.”

In order to further enhance the symbolic significance of Democracy Day in Nigeria’s democratic development, he noted that the law will mandate that the President give the speech during a joint session of the National Assembly.

Commencement of the National Assembly

The law also suggests moving the presidential swearing-in event to the National Assembly Complex, which would fundamentally change Nigeria’s democratic customs.

The measure, according to Bamidele, “aims to guarantee that the swearing-in ceremony of the next President and Commander-in-Chief of Nigeria, who we believe is President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, will take place within the arcade of the National Assembly.”

If the bill is approved, the inauguration will officially take place in a parliamentary setting rather than Eagle Square in Abuja, further incorporating the country’s democratic institutions with ceremonial customs.

Extension of Budget Implementation and Amendment to the Constitution
The extension of the national budget’s capital spending component for 2024 is one of the budgetary issues that the same proposal is anticipated to address.

“We must take a seat and evaluate the 2024 budget’s overall implementation. We will continue to prolong the capital spending schedule while making sure the 2025 budget is carried out in its entirety,” Bamidele said.

Read Also: Outgoing African Development Bank President Adesina Gets New Appointment

In his capacity as the Constitution Review Committee’s vice chairman, Bamidele also gave updates on the current constitutional drafts.

While acknowledging the delays, he promised that public hearings would start at the zonal level and end with a joint session that was organized by the House of Representatives and the Senate.

The job has been completed to around 70% before going public. The process of amending the constitution will be finished before the third legislative year ends,” he stated.

June 12: An All-Nation Sign of the Democratic Battle
Because of the annulled 1993 presidential election, which was largely thought to have been won by Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola, June 12 has become a national day of reflection.

Nigeria’s transition to civilian governance is sometimes attributed to the massive protests that followed the election’s cancelation.

In 2018, former President Muhammadu Buhari formally proclaimed June 12 Nigeria’s Democracy Day, replacing May 29 in honor of Abiola and the democratic principles he stood for.

The story took a fresh turn in February 2025 when Ibrahim Babangida, the former military ruler, publicly acknowledged for the first time that Abiola had won the 1993 election.