Lawmakers Considers Bill to Hold Presidential Inaugurations at Assembly Complex

The National Assembly is considering a bill that would require future presidents-elect to be sworn in at the National Assembly arcade, rather than the traditional Eagle Square venue in Abuja.

Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele disclosed the proposal on Tuesday while speaking to reporters ahead of the June 12 Democracy Day celebrations.

The proposed legislation would also institutionalise the delivery of an annual State of the Nation Address by the president, to be presented before a joint sitting of the National Assembly on June 12 each year.

“June 12 is symbolic,” Senator Bamidele said. “We want to deepen its significance by making it the official date for the State of the Nation Address, and future inaugurations should also take place within the parliamentary complex.”

He added that the initiative was being developed in collaboration with President Bola Tinubu, who has been invited to address a joint session of parliament on Thursday in honour of Democracy Day.

June 12 marks the anniversary of the 1993 presidential election, widely regarded as Nigeria’s fairest, which was won by Chief MKO Abiola but later annulled by the military regime.