PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu will address a joint session of the Senate and the House of Representatives on Thursday, June 12, at the National Assembly Complex, Abuja.
The address of the joint session of the National Assembly is part of the activities marking the Democracy Day celebrations, as the Federal Government has also declared the same day a public holiday to commemorate the 2025 Democracy Day celebration.
The House of Representatives Spokesman, Akin Rotimi, reportedly announced this in a statement on Sunday.
“The Special joint sitting is scheduled to be held at the House of Representatives Chamber, National Assembly Complex, commencing at 11:00 AM, with preliminary proceedings ahead of the arrival of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, at noon.
“The theme for this year’s celebration is: ’26 years of democracy: Renewing our commitment to national development.” President Tinubu is expected to attend the occasion as Special Guest of Honour and will deliver a presidential address to the joint sitting,” he stated.
In a similar vein, Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, announced Democracy Day as a public holiday in a statement issued by the Permanent Secretary, Magdalene Ajani, on Sunday, June 8.
He said, “June 12 represents our historic journey to building a nation where truth, justice reign, and peace is sustained and our future assured.
“The last 26 years tell the story of our resilience, strength, and courage, and a hope renewed than ever.”
The minister reiterated the commitment of the Renewed Hope government of President Bola Tinubu to the universal value of democracy that is based on freely-expressed will of the people in determining Nigeria’s political, economic, social, and cultural systems.
While declaring the holiday, Tunji-Ojo congratulated Nigerians for an uninterrupted 26 years of civil rule.
The ICIR reports that until 2018, Nigeria commemorated Democracy Day every May 29.
In 2019, former President Muhammadu Buhari changed the Democracy Day celebration to June 12 every year.
The restoration of June 12 as Democracy Day carries huge significance in the history of Nigeria, as it has been described as the most significant in the country’s post-independence political history.
It was on that date in 1993 that a presidential election, believed to be the freest, fairest, and most peaceful, was held for the first time since the 1983 military coup.
On the day, an estimated 14 million Nigerians – irrespective of ethnic, religious, class, and regional affiliations- defied bad weather to elect their president with the hope of ending years of military dictatorships, The ICIR reported.
The former military Head of State, General Ibrahim Babangida, however, annulled the election results, which went in favour of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Moshood Abiola.