During plenary on Wednesday, May 28, 2025 Senate President Godswill Akpabio announced the upcoming joint session of the Senate and House of Representatives. As part of activities marking this year’s Democracy Day, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will address this joint session of the National Assembly on Wednesday, June 12, 2025. The theme for this year’s celebration is: “26 Years of Democracy: Renewing Our Commitment to National Development.” The President’s address is expected to highlight the state of the nation, democratic progress, and key policy directions moving forward.
A History of Nigeria’s Democracy Day
From 1999 to 2018, Nigeria’s Democracy Day was celebrated on May 29 to mark the birth of the Fourth Republic on May 29, 1999, when the country returned to civilian rule with the election of President Olusegun Obasanjo. Nigeria’s political trajectory has seen many periods of military intervention, and the period since 1999 has been the longest of unbroken legislative practice. The country’s democracy has matured, witnessing seven electoral cycles, including an alternation of power between political parties.
In 2018, President Muhammadu Buhari declared June 12 to be the new Democracy Day. This was done to commemorate Nigeria’s historic 1993 presidential election, widely regarded as the freest and fairest in the country’s history. Though the election—won by late Chief M.K.O. Abiola—was annulled by the military regime at the time, it became a turning point in Nigeria’s struggle for democratic governance.
26 Years of Democracy
President Tinubu’s upcoming Democracy Day address carries added significance, given his deep-rooted involvement in Nigeria’s pro-democracy movement. As a prominent member of the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO), Tinubu was instrumental in the resistance against military rule following the annulment of the 1993 election. His activism led to exile, but he returned to Nigeria to help lay the foundations of the Fourth Republic.
Rising through the political ranks, Tinubu served as Governor of Lagos State from 1999 to 2007 and played a key role in the formation of the All Progressives Congress (APC), the party that brought him to power as President in 2023.
The Special Joint Sitting is scheduled to hold 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 12:00 noon. The programme will also feature goodwill messages from former presiding officers of the National Assembly and the conferment of National Honours on select legislators by Mr. President.
This Joint Sitting represents a significant moment in Nigeria’s democratic journey. It underscores the pivotal role of the National Assembly in safeguarding democratic values, fostering accountability, and advancing national development over the past 26 years of uninterrupted civil rule.
Nigerians are urged to embrace the spirit of Democracy Day as a time for reflection, renewed patriotism, and commitment to building a more inclusive, prosperous, and united nation.
