NDC’s Use of Old Anthem Suggests Secessionism — Keyamo

Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has accused the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) of displaying secessionist tendencies following the recitation of Nigeria’s former national anthem at a party gathering in Lagos.

Keyamo made the allegation in a post on his X account on Sunday, November 15, 2026, while responding to criticism over the use of President Bola Tinubu’s campaign song, “On Your Mandate”, at public events.

The controversy followed an incident at an NDC town hall meeting in the Oregun area of Lagos on Thursday, where the party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi, and some supporters recited the former national anthem, “Arise, O Compatriots”, instead of the current national anthem, “Nigeria, We Hail Thee”.

Keyamo argued that singing an anthem different from the one recognised by law in place of the official national anthem amounted to an expression of support for a separate country.

“Singing an outlawed anthem IN PLACE of a legally approved NATIONAL ANTHEM by the NDC is surely an expression of a desire to have a separate country, and that is an INGREDIENT OF A SECESSIONIST GROUP,” he said.

The minister also defended the use of Tinubu’s campaign song at presidential events, insisting that it was never performed in place of the national anthem.

According to him, the national anthem is first rendered at official gatherings before supporters sing “On Your Mandate” to welcome or celebrate the President.

He explained that the Police Band sometimes plays the instrumental version of the campaign song to herald Tinubu’s arrival or speech, but only after the national anthem has been performed.

Keyamo maintained that Obi was free to adopt any song, including the former national anthem, for his political activities, provided it was not used to replace the legally recognised national anthem.

The minister had earlier given the NDC’s national leader, Senator Seriake Dickson, 48 hours to clarify whether the party officially endorsed the former anthem as its national symbol.

However, the NDC rejected Keyamo’s allegations, describing them as unfounded and politically motivated. The party maintained that Obi did not instruct supporters to reject the current anthem, adding that the recitation of the former version was a spontaneous reaction by some attendees.

The controversy follows the National Anthem Act 2024, signed by President Tinubu on May 29, 2024, which restored “Nigeria, We Hail Thee” as the country’s official national anthem, replacing “Arise, O Compatriots”.

The disagreement has widened political exchanges between the ruling party and the opposition over the interpretation of national symbols and conduct at political gatherings.