The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Abbas Tajudeen, has revealed that President Bola Tinubu declined to address the joint session of the National Assembly due to the scheduled activities marking Democracy Day on June 12.
Mr. Tajudeen attributed the misunderstanding to the House, acknowledging that the invitation to the President for a joint session was an oversight, which has since been rectified by President Tinubu.
He explained that President Tinubu will only commence the use of the Old National Anthem, as per the provisions of the recently signed National Anthem Bill.
The Speaker further announced that there would be no address by the two presiding officers, clarifying President Tinubu’s absence from delivering a speech.
It’s worth noting that the previous administration of President Muhammadu Buhari declared June 12 as Democracy Day in 2018, replacing May 29, which had been traditionally observed as Democracy Day since the restoration of democratic governance in Nigeria.
Recall The Explainer reported how President Tinubu arrived at the National Assembly Complex as part of activities commemorating 25 years of unbroken democracy in Nigeria.
Although lawmakers were prepared for his arrival, the President has yet to enter the chamber. His motorcade reached the National Assembly at 11:57 a.m., following over three hours of anticipation by the House.
Following the arrival of the motorcade, Speaker of the House Abbas Tajudeen and Senate President Godswill Akpabio entered the chamber. Senator Akpabio announced that President Tinubu would not address the chamber but would listen to the Old National Anthem instead. He also encouraged lawmakers to download the new anthem.
