The Presidential National Broadcast by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, originally scheduled for 7 a.m. on Wednesday, June 12, in commemoration of Democracy Day, has been cancelled.
This was announced in a statement released on Wednesday by Segun Imohiosen, Director of Information and Public Relations. According to the statement, the broadcast was cancelled due to the President’s scheduled appearance at a joint session of the National Assembly.
“Due to H.E. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR’s scheduled attendance at the National Assembly Joint Session, the Presidential National Broadcast on June 12 has been cancelled,” the statement read. “President Tinubu will instead deliver his Democracy Day address from the National Assembly. All other planned activities remain unchanged.”
The Inter-Ministerial Committee on Democracy Day also confirmed the change. In a separate statement signed by Abdulhakeem Adeoye on behalf of the committee’s director, the committee said the President’s address at the National Assembly will precede his participation in the joint session scheduled for noon.
There will be no Democracy Day parade this year. However, a public lecture will be held at 4 p.m. at the State House Conference Centre, Abuja. The theme of the lecture is “Consolidating on the Gains of Nigeria’s Democracy: Necessity of Enduring Reforms.”
This year marks the 26th anniversary of uninterrupted democratic governance in Nigeria since the return to civilian rule in 1999. Democracy Day was previously celebrated on May 29—the inauguration day for presidents and governors—but was shifted to June 12 in 2018 by former President Muhammadu Buhari in honour of the annulled 1993 election won by MKO Abiola, widely regarded as Nigeria’s fairest poll.
The 2025 Democracy Day is the third under President Tinubu, who assumed office in 2023 following a tightly contested election.
Despite two and a half decades of democratic rule, concerns remain about the health of Nigeria’s democracy. Speaking on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Wednesday, opposition chieftain and PDP stalwart Dele Momodu warned that Nigeria risked sliding into a civilian dictatorship.
“I’m very happy that today coincides with the lead-up to June 12, so that if we still have any iota of conscience left, we’ll realise we have damaged this democracy,” Momodu said.
