Nigeria: Abdulsalami Abubakar, David Mark, Gbajabiamila to Join Tinubu in Addressing Nass Joint Session

The Presidency said Mr Tinubu has cancelled the traditional 29 May national broadcast and opted to address the lawmakers to celebrate the 25 years of interrupted democracy.

Former Head of State, Abdulsalam Abubakar, will join President Bola Tinubu to address the joint session of the National Assembly on Wednesday, according to the spokesperson to the president, Bayo Onanuga.

Others to join the president include former Senate President David Mark and former Speaker of the House of Representatives Femi Gbajabiamila.

Mr Onanuga announced this in a statement on Tuesday in Abuja.

He said the president had canceled the traditional 29 May national broadcast and opted to address the lawmakers to celebrate 25 years of interrupted democracy.

The choice of the speakers is symbolic.

The Abdulsalam Abubakar administration midwifed the transition to democracy in 1999, while Mr Mark served as the senate president for eight years uninterrupted from 2007 to 2015.

Mr Gbajabiamila, the chief of staff to the president, was in the House for 20 years and in the process served as minority leader, majority leader and later speaker of the 9th House.

The president is scheduled to commission the library complex that is named after him.

Read the full statement

PRESIDENT TINUBU TO ADDRESS JOINT SITTING OF NATIONAL ASSEMBLY TOMORROW

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will not make a broadcast to the nation on Wednesday to celebrate his first anniversary as the leader of Nigeria.

Instead, the President will address a joint session of the National Assembly, which has lined up a programme to commemorate 25 years of the nation's democratic journey at both the executive and legislative levels.

President Tinubu's speech will dwell on the achievements of his administration and Nigeria's democracy since the military ceded power in 1999.

Former Senate President, Senator David Mark, former speaker of the House of Representatives and now President Tinubu's Chief of Staff, Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila are all lined up to address the parliament.

Also lined up to speak is the former military ruler, General Abdulsalami Abubakar, who handed over power to civilian administration in 1999.

At the end of the speeches, President Tinubu will commission the National Assembly Library and Resource Center, now to be known as Bola Ahmed Tinubu Building.

Bayo Onanuga

Special Adviser on Information and Strategy

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