(VIDEO) Obi, NDC supporters reject current national anthem at Lagos town hall

The presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, and party faithful on Thursday rejected the current national anthem, opting instead to sing an older version during a town hall meeting in Lagos State.

The drama unfolded when Obi, alongside the party’s Lagos State governorship candidate, Funso Doherty, and other attendees refused to stand after the event anchor called for the recital of the current anthem. The anchor subsequently switched to the old anthem, which the crowd then sang in unison.

In a viral video of the event, the NDC presidential candidate was seen facing the crowd with two fingers raised on each hand, a gesture associated with the logo of the party.

Earlier in the day, the town hall meeting was temporarily halted after suspected thugs armed with stones and dangerous weapons invaded the venue, causing panic among attendees.

During the 2023 general elections, Obi, who ran on the platform of the Labour Party, won Lagos State with 582,354 votes, defeating the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Bola Tinubu, who polled 572,606 votes.

The development follows the ongoing debate over the national anthem after President Bola Tinubu signed the National Anthem Bill into law on May 29, 2024. The legislation reinstated ‘Nigeria, We Hail Thee’ as the country’s anthem, replacing ‘Arise, O Compatriots’.