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The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) candidate for Ikeja Federal Constituency, Joseph Osemudiamen Mawuli Orukpe, has refuted reports suggesting that party members failed to observe the national anthem protocol at Peter Obi’s town hall meeting in Lagos.
Orukpe said the allegation did not reflect what happened at the gathering, maintaining that members of the party sang the new national anthem during the event held in Ikeja.
He addressed the issue in a video published on the Lagos State chapter of the NDC’s X account on Saturday.
The candidate, who confirmed his presence at the meeting, accused people he linked to the ruling party of trying to create a misleading impression about the conduct of NDC members.
“Let me state categorically: That claim is false, misleading and completely unsupported by the facts,” he said.
He argued that some media organisations had contributed to the controversy by sharing portions of the event without including footage that, according to him, showed party members singing the national anthem.
Orukpe said the complete recording could be made available for verification and called on those questioning the party’s conduct to make the footage public.
“In this age of digital media, facts are not difficult to establish. The complete footage exists. Let the public examine the evidence and judge for themselves,” he said.
He also rejected suggestions that the controversy reflected the party’s position on Nigeria, stressing that the NDC recognised the country’s national symbols, institutions and sovereignty.
The candidate called on Nigerians to scrutinise information before accepting or spreading it, warning against the use of political disagreements to misrepresent events.
“Nigeria deserves better than propaganda. Ikeja deserves better than misinformation. And our democracy deserves a politics anchored on truth,” he added.
