Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, SAN has criticized presidential candidate Peter Obi and supporters of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) after they sang the former national anthem at a Lagos political gathering.
The Minister accused them of disrespecting national symbols and the presidency they seek to win.
At a town hall meeting on Thursday, Obi, the NDC’s presidential candidate, joined Lagos governorship candidate Funso Doherty and other attendees in singing “Arise, O Compatriots,” the anthem used from 1978 until 2024.
The group declined to sing “Nigeria, We Hail Thee,” which President Bola Tinubu signed back into law in May 2024.
Speaking in a radio programme in Ilese-Ijebu, Keyamo said the episode amounted to a rejection of the law and of the office of the president that the NDC is seeking.
He argued that voters would judge whether the party’s conduct reflected the responsibility and maturity required of prospective national leaders.
“Nigerians will decide whether these people disregarding national symbols, disrespecting the law and disrespecting the office of the president that they so crave are responsible enough to aspire to that office,”
Keyamo said, according to remarks reported by local media.
The Minister also suggested that the episode could cost the NDC support among what he described as “cerebral and moderate” voters, while portraying the party’s stance as political defiance.
Keyamo acknowledged that he was not aware of a specific legal penalty for singing the former anthem.
He said that, although the current anthem was adopted by law, the absence of a prescribed punishment meant the conduct did not automatically amount to a criminal offense.
