Wike Knocks Obi For Snubbing National Anthem: “A Man Who Doesn't Believe in Nigeria"

• FCT Minister Nyesom Wike accused NDC presidential candidate Peter Obi of disrespecting Nigeria's national anthem at a public event
• Wike made the remarks at a Rivers State town hall meeting organised to drum up support for President Tinubu's 2027 re-election bid
• The minister also challenged Obi's governance record, citing the absence of local government elections during his eight years as Anambra governor

FCT Minister Nyesom Wike has accused Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential candidate Peter Obi of demonstrating lawlessness and an intent to divide the country, alleging that Obi refused to stand for the official national anthem while standing for a different one that is no longer in use.

Wike made the remarks on Friday at a stakeholders' town hall meeting held in Ogu-Bolo Local Government Area of Rivers State. The event was organised under the Rainbow Coalition, a platform mobilising support for President Bola Tinubu's 2027 re-election campaign and All Progressives Congress candidates.

The minister addressed an audience of traditional rulers, community leaders, youths, and party members, arguing that anyone who disregards national symbols cannot be trusted to lead the country.

Wike's anthem allegation against Obi

"A whole national anthem of a country is being sung. A man who wants to be President of Nigeria would disobey and sit down. And then not only that, when a different national anthem that is not being used for Nigeria [was sung], he stood up," Wike said.

He went further, drawing a sharp conclusion from the alleged conduct. "In a way, he does not belong to this country. In a way, he has said he does not belong to this country; that if you give him the president, he would do a different thing that will divide Nigeria."

Wike added that Obi's behaviour amounted to a disqualifying failure of character. "A man who does not believe in Nigeria, someone who derives joy in ridiculing the country by disrespecting its symbolic National Anthem must not be allowed to come near the presidency of our country," he said.

Wike questions Obi's governance record

Beyond the anthem allegation, the minister raised questions about Obi's record as a politician and as a former governor of Anambra State. He claimed Obi has a pattern of leaving political parties at the first sign of internal trouble rather than working through disputes from within.

Wike also pointed to Obi's eight-year tenure as Anambra governor, alleging that no local government elections were conducted during that period, which he described as a direct contradiction of Obi's self-proclaimed commitment to the rule of law.

Peter Obi left the Labour Party in 2025 and was ratified as the NDC's presidential candidate on May 29, 2026, ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Watch the video of Peter Obi defying the national anthem on YouTube here:

Source: Legit.ng