Moment Peter Obi Rejected Constitutionally Approve National Anthem
- Peter Obi and NDC supporters refused to recite Nigeria's new national anthem during a town hall meeting in Lagos
- A viral video from the event captured the moment Obi and governorship candidate Funso Doherty led the protest
- The group instead recited the old national anthem when asked to stand for the official version
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Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), publicly rejected Nigeria's new national anthem alongside party supporters at a town hall meeting held in Lagos on Thursday.
A video of the event went viral shortly after, showing Obi and Funso Doherty, the NDC governorship candidate in Lagos, refusing to recite the new anthem when attendees were asked to stand for it. Instead, the group chose to recite the old national anthem.
Obi and Doherty lead the protest
The rejection was not spontaneous. Obi and Doherty visibly led the demonstration, with the crowd of NDC supporters following their lead by reciting the former version of the anthem in unison rather than observing the new one.
Nigeria officially replaced its post-independence national anthem, "Arise O Compatriots," with the original first anthem, "Nigeria We Hail Thee," in May 2024. The switch was signed into law by President Bola Tinubu and came after a bill passed through the National Assembly in a matter of days, drawing criticism from many Nigerians who felt the process lacked public consultation.
The Lagos town hall event appears to be among the NDC's early campaign activities ahead of the 2027 general elections, for which Obi was ratified as the party's presidential candidate on May 29, 2026.
See the video of the moment on X here:
Source: Legit.ng
