The planned Democracy Day national broadcast by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, originally scheduled for 7 a.m. on June 12, has been called off. Instead, the President will now deliver his Democracy Day address during a joint session of the National Assembly.
This change in schedule was confirmed on Wednesday through a statement issued by Segun Imohiosen, Director of Information and Public Relations.
“Due to the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, scheduled attendance at the National Assembly Joint Session, the Presidential National Broadcast on June 12 has been cancelled,” the statement clarified.
“President Bola Ahmed will deliver his address from the National Assembly. All other plans are in order as announced earlier,” it added.
The shift aligns with President Tinubu’s confirmed presence at the legislative chamber, where he is expected to speak at noon as part of the day’s commemorative events.
Meanwhile, the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Democracy Day, via a statement signed by Abdulhakeem Adeoye on behalf of the Director of Information and Public Relations, outlined additional plans. There will be no parade this year, but a public lecture themed “Consolidating on the Gains of Nigeria’s Democracy: Necessity of Enduring Reforms” is scheduled for 4 p.m. at the State House Conference Centre in Abuja.
This year marks 26 consecutive years of democratic governance in Nigeria, following the nation’s return to civilian rule in 1999. Originally observed on May 29, Democracy Day was officially moved to June 12 in 2018 by then-President Muhammadu Buhari to honour the 1993 presidential election believed to have been won by MKO Abiola — widely considered one of Nigeria’s freest and fairest elections.
The 2025 celebration will be President Tinubu’s third Democracy Day in office since his inauguration in 2023.
Despite the milestone, concerns about the health of Nigeria’s democracy continue to grow. Speaking on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief, PDP stalwart Dele Momodu expressed alarm over what he sees as democratic decline.
“I’m very happy that today coincides with the lead-up to June 12 (Democracy Day), so that if we still have any iota of conscience left, we’ll realise we have damaged this democracy,” Momodu warned, claiming the country was veering toward a “civilian dictatorship.”
