The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has criticised the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, and his supporters over their decision to sing Nigeria’s former national anthem at a party event.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

The controversy followed the refusal of some NDC supporters, including Obi, to sing the current national anthem during the party’s town hall meeting in Lagos on Thursday.

A video that went viral on social media showed Obi, the party’s Lagos governorship candidate, Funso Doherty, and other attendees singing the former anthem, Arise, O Compatriots, which was replaced by Nigeria We Hail Thee.

Reacting to the incident during an interview on Eagle 102.5 FM, Ilese-Ijebu, Keyamo described the action as disrespectful to the law and the office of the president, which the NDC is seeking to occupy.

The minister said Nigerians would ultimately decide whether the conduct reflected the responsibility and maturity expected of individuals aspiring to political leadership.

He argued that although some people might applaud the action as an act of political defiance, it could cost the party the support of moderate and intellectually inclined voters.

Keyamo said, “Like they say of APC, they say it’s only mad men that will vote for APC. So let me return the campaign slogan, it’s only irresponsible people that will vote for that type of party called NDC that defy national symbols, it’s only irresponsible that will vote for them.

“For me, it is left for the Nigerian people to decide whether these human beings you have now seen disregarding national symbols, disrespecting the law and disrespecting the office of the president that they so crave whether they are responsible enough to aspire to that office.

“They have lost the cerebral and the in-betweens. They have lost them by that action. Maybe those who are downright irresponsible, they will hail them and they will vote for them. But we’ll see on election day how many Nigerians are irresponsible.”

However, when asked whether singing the former national anthem amounted to a violation of the law, Keyamo said he was unaware of any specific penalty attached to the action.

He explained that although the current national anthem was adopted through legislation, the absence of a prescribed punishment meant that singing the former anthem did not automatically constitute a punishable offence.

He added, “There’s no penalty that is prescribed by law. No penalty. The law just says this is our new national anthem and then you should think we should all abide by it. It becomes a crime when there’s a penalty attached to it.”

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has declared that any leader who disrespects the country’s national symbols cannot be trusted and should not be allowed to occupy the presidency.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

Wike made the statement while reacting to the decision by the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential candidate, Peter Obi, and his supporters to sing Nigeria’s former National Anthem during a town hall meeting in Lagos State.

The minister spoke on Friday at a stakeholders’ town hall meeting in Ogu-Bolo Local Government Area of Rivers State. The event was organised under the Rainbow Coalition to mobilise support for President Bola Tinubu’s 2027 re-election bid and other All Progressives Congress (APC) candidates.

During his address, Wike accused Obi of demonstrating lawlessness and promoting actions capable of dividing the country.

He said, “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.

“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.

“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.”

Wike also questioned Obi’s political history and record as a former governor of Anambra State.

He alleged that the NDC presidential candidate frequently leaves political parties whenever internal disagreements emerge instead of remaining to resolve the crises.

The FCT minister further criticised Obi over his failure to conduct local government elections during his eight-year tenure as governor, describing it as inconsistent with his public commitment to the rule of law.

The United States government has called on Nigerian authorities to release Sufi Muslim singer Yahaya Sharif-Aminu, who has been detained in Kano State since 2020 over blasphemy allegations.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶