Felicia Asuquo, Abuja.
The National Assembly of Nigeria (NASS) is considering a bill that would require the inauguration of presidents-elect to take place within the Chambers of the National Assembly, rather than the traditional outdoor ceremony.
This proposed legislation is aimed to enhance the dignity and security of the inauguration process.
The Leader of the Senate, Opeyemi Bamidele, made this disclosure while responding to questions on the June 12 anniversary on Tuesday in Abuja.
Bamidele said that the legislation was part of efforts to strengthen the country’s democracy.
He said that the parliament would also initiate another legislation for the President to deliver the ‘State of the Nation Address’ in the National Assembly on June 12 annually.
Investigator news reports that the National Assembly had invited President Bola Tinubu to address a joint session of the Senate and the House of Representatives on Thursday to mark the 2025 National Democracy Day.
Bamidele said: “It is our desire to institutionalise the State of the Nation Address. We will bring a bill to address it, to ensure that it is institutionalised. People should look forward to it.
“President Tinubu is working with the National Assembly in that regard. June 12 will be a better time for the President to address the nation through the National Assembly.
“There is no better day than June 12 for the President to address the nation, because of its historical significance. It is a joint sitting of the National Assembly. Nigerians should look forward to this legislative initiative.
“We are also hoping to change our political setting to the extent that the swearing-in of the next President will, by the grace of God, be in the arcade of the National Assembly of Nigeria.”
It will be recalled that Democracy Day is observed in Nigeria every June 12, in honour of Late Chief MKO Abiola, the winner of the 1993 Presidential election.
The 1993 election is adjudged as the freest, fairest and most credible election in Nigeria’s political history.