Joseph Orukpe, the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) candidate for Ikeja Federal Constituency, has denied claims that party members refused to sing Nigeria’s new national anthem at a town hall meeting in Lagos attended by their presidential candidate, Peter Obi.
Orukpe called the reports false and misleading, saying that party members did sing the new national anthem at the event.
In a statement on Saturday, the candidate said he was physically present at the town hall meeting alongside other party members and witnessed national protocols being observed.
He claimed that some members of the ruling party were trying to mislead Nigerians by saying that NDC members rejected the new anthem.
Orukpe also said some media outlets covering the event shared only selected clips and did not show the full video of party members singing the new national anthem.
He called on those sharing the reports to release the full video so Nigerians can see it and decide for themselves.
“In this age of digital media, facts are not difficult to establish. The complete footage exists. Let the public examine the evidence and judge for themselves,” he said.
The candidate maintained that the party’s commitment to Nigeria should not be judged through what he described as manufactured controversies
He added that the NDC respected the country’s national symbols, institutions and sovereignty.
“Our commitment to Nigeria is not measured by manufactured controversies or political propaganda. We respect our national symbols, our institutions and the sovereignty of our country.
“I challenge those spreading this falsehood to produce the complete footage rather than selectively editing events to serve partisan interests,” Orukpe added.
The controversy followed reports that Obi, alongside the party’s Lagos State governorship candidate, Funso Doherty, and other supporters, recited the old national anthem, Nigeria, We Hail Thee, during the town hall meeting on Thursday.
A viral video from the event showed the attendees singing the old anthem after the event anchor reportedly switched to it when the new anthem was not immediately rendered.
The old national anthem was reintroduced on May 29, 2024, after President Bola Tinubu signed into law a bill passed by the National Assembly to restore it.
The anthem, Nigeria, We Hail Thee, was originally used from the country’s independence in 1960 until 1978, when it was replaced with Arise, O Compatriots.