OBI, NDC SUPPORTERS SING FORMER NATIONAL ANTHEM AT LAGOS TOWN HALL
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By: Hammad Fasasi
The presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, on Thursday joined party supporters in singing Nigeria’s former national anthem, ‘Nigeria, We Hail Thee’, during a town hall meeting in Lagos.
Obi, alongside the party’s Lagos State governorship candidate, Funso Doherty, and other participants, declined to stand when the event anchor invited attendees to recite the current national anthem.
The anchor subsequently switched to the former anthem, prompting Obi and other party supporters to join in singing it.
During the recital, Obi faced the crowd with two fingers raised on both hands, making a gesture associated with the NDC logo.
A video of the incident, which has since gained attention on social media, showed party supporters enthusiastically singing the old national anthem.
The development comes amid ongoing debate over President Bola Tinubu’s decision to restore Nigeria’s former national anthem.
On May 29, 2024, Tinubu signed the National Anthem Bill into law, reinstating ‘Nigeria, We Hail Thee’ as the country’s official anthem and replacing ‘Arise, O Compatriots’.
The former anthem was first adopted when Nigeria gained independence on October 1, 1960, and remained in use until 1978, when it was replaced by the current anthem.
Meanwhile, the town hall meeting was earlier disrupted after suspected hoodlums reportedly stormed the venue with cutlasses, cudgels and stones, forcing participants to flee for safety.
The incident caused panic among attendees as they sought to escape the reported attack.
Obi had previously won Lagos State in the 2023 presidential election as the Labour Party candidate, polling 582,354 votes to defeat Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress, who secured 572,606 votes.
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