Video: Awkward Moment at Villa as DJ Mistakenly Plays Old National Anthem During APC Meeting
- Nigeria’s old national anthem was mistakenly played at the APC national caucus meeting held at the State House, Abuja
- President Bola Tinubu and other top APC leaders briefly stood in confusion before the band corrected the error
- The meeting marked the first APC caucus session chaired by the party’s new national chairman and featured newly defected governors
Legit.ng's Muslim Muhammad Yusuf is a 2025 Wole Soyinka Award-winning journalist with over 8 years of experience in investigative reporting, human rights, politics, governance and accountability in Nigeria.
Nigeria’s former national anthem was mistakenly played during the opening moments of the All Progressives Congress (APC) national caucus meeting held on Thursday night at the State House, Abuja.
President Bola Tinubu, Vice-President Kashim Shettima, Senate President Godswill Akpabio and Speaker of the House of Representatives Tajudeen Abbas were already seated at the banquet hall when the incident occurred.
Source: Twitter
As protocol required the rendition of the national anthem, the band struck the opening notes of “Arise, O Compatriots,” Nigeria’s former anthem.
The development caused brief confusion in the hall, with the president and other APC leaders standing uncertainly for a few seconds.
The musicians quickly realised the error and switched midway to “Nigeria, We Hail Thee,” the anthem recently reinstated by the Tinubu administration.
On May 29, President Tinubu signed a bill reintroducing “Nigeria, We Hail Thee,” which served as the country’s national anthem between 1960 and 1988, effectively replacing “Arise, O Compatriots,” used from 1978 until early 2024.
Thursday’s caucus meeting was significant as it marked the first to be presided over by the APC’s national chairman, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda.
Several governors who recently defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the APC were also in attendance, including Governors Peter Mbah (Enugu), Siminalayi Fubara (Rivers), Sheriff Oborevwori (Delta), Umo Eno (Akwa Ibom), Agbu Kefas (Taraba) and Douye Diri (Bayelsa).
Source: Twitter
Other dignitaries present included former Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo, members of the APC National Working Committee, governors elected on the party’s platform and principal officers of the National Assembly.
Some Nigerians have commended the president for the development, while many have condemned the move. Critics questioned the relevance of the initiative amid the country's present economic condition.
Did Tinubu spend N814bn on the national anthem?
Legit.ng earlier reported that amid the controversy, a blog post by RWGblog claimed in a widely shared flyer on its Instagram page that changing the national anthem gulped N814 billion from the federal government's coffers.
The post claimed that the budget and economic planning minister, Atiku Bagudu, disclosed this in a statement.
The blog post has generated controversy on social media and has been shared on Facebook and X (formerly Twitter).
Tinubu speaks on establishing state police
Legit.ng earlier reported that President Bola Tinubu said Nigeria would establish state police, arguing that decentralised policing would significantly improve national security.
The president spoke while addressing governors elected on the platform of the APC during the party’s national caucus meeting in Abuja.
He told APC governors that discussions with US and European leaders showed international interest in Nigeria’s security reforms.
Source: Legit.ng
