From Ismail Omipidan, Ndubuisi Orji , Abuja, Chinelo Obogo, Lagos and Noah Ebije, Kaduna
Nigerians, including members of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have come hard on the country’s lawmakers for chorusing the famous President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s solidarity song ‘on your mandate we shall stand,’ saying it was disgraceful and shameful for the Senators and members of the House of Representatives to reduce themselves into “yes men and women.”
Leading the pack of angry Nigerians over the development is the Interim National Coordinator of the Obidient Movement Worldwide, Dr. Yunusa Tanko, who described the incident as a “show of shame.”
He noted that “what you saw on the floor on Wednesday is what you get when you are trying to authenticate a mandate that is unpopular and unacceptable to the generality of Nigerians. It is a show of shame. This particular mandate is not acceptable to the majority of Nigerians. If the mandate is what Nigerians are happy about, they will sing it. It is unfortunate that our lawmakers have turned themselves to yes men and women,” Tanko added.
The National Financial Secretary, National Rescue Movement (NRM), Rev. Emmanuel Olorunmagba, also reacted angrily to the development, saying: “It’s so sad and disgraceful watching Members of our National Assembly at the presentation of the 2025 budget, singing ‘on your mandate, we shall stand,’ a popular political lyric associated with the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC), usually used by the supporters of President Bola Tinubu to express solidarity and unalloyed loyalty to him (President Tinubu).
“Seeing the footage, I had to watch it over and over to be sure that what I was seeing and hearing was true. Seriously, the question that keeps coming up is, if the legislative arm is truly independent and really performing the role of check and balance or mere rubber stamp. Obviously, this alone has made some people that still have little hope in the National Assembly to lose hope completely.
“Let’s even assume that they are mere rubber stamps as alleged by some people who are disappointed in them already, must they clearly express such by chanting political lyrics like nursery school pupils reciting their nursery rhymes to hail a teacher they intend to get undeserved favour from?”
Spokesperson of Northern Elders Forum (NEF), Abdullazeez Suleiman, said the lawmakers appear to be reaffirming their allegiance and loyalty to President Tinubu, suggesting a prioritisation of party loyalty over national duty.
“On a day that should have been marked by solemnity and unity, it was unexpected that the National Assembly, instead of the traditional National Anthem, decided to sing ‘On your mandate we shall stand.’ This decision, seemingly innocuous at first glance, invites a deeper exploration of its implications on national identity, political culture, and the evolving relationship between elected officials and the constituents they represent.
“The National Anthem, steeped in history and national pride, symbolises the collective aspirations and values of a nation. It serves as a reminder of the sacrifices made for freedom and unity, echoing the sentiments of patriotism that bind citizens together. By opting to sing a song that emphasises personal allegiance to a leader rather than the nation itself, lawmakers may have inadvertently signalled a shift in the political landscape. This departure from tradition raises questions about the evolving nature of loyalty – whether it lies with the state or with individual political figures,” the NEF spokesperson said.
Immediate past National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Mr. Kola Ologbondiyan, noted that it was shameful for lawmakers to have acted in the manner they did, insisting that by that singular action they have failed the country’s democracy.
“It is shameful. We even heard that lawmakers were given Tinubu’s logo to wear on their dresses. The current leadership of the National Assembly is failing our democracy and it is unfortunate,” Ologbondiyan said.
Also speaking, the Deputy National Youth Leader of the PDP, Timothy Osadalor , berated the lawmakers for singing President Bola Tinubu ‘s hype song ‘On Your Mandate, we shall stand’ in the parliament during the presentation of the 2025 budget estimates.
The youth leader, while dismissing the budget as” a sick joke,” expressed dismay that federal lawmakers, whose duty it is to interrogate the Appropriation Bill are championing sycophancy inside the chamber.
He noted that “those guys at best should be in the choir of a church or a music industry, rather than be in a revered and sacred place like the hallowed chamber of the National Assembly.
“The truth is that governance and sycophancy are so intertwined in our clime that you can’t separate them. How can members that are supposed to be Distinguished or members that are supposed to be sound and interpreters of our constitution be the ones championing sycophancy at the hallowed chamber.
“The budget itself is a sick joke. Those saddles with the responsibility of reviewing the budget, you have seen the kind of persons they are. So, what can you expect from such people? Nigerians should know that this budget is a deception.”