Wike Reacts Strongly As Peter Obi Refuses To Recite Current National Anthem At Lagos Town Hall

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has severely criticized the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, accusing him of lawlessness and demonstrating an intent to divide the country by allegedly refusing to recite the official national anthem.

Wike made the remarks on Friday during a stakeholders’ town hall meeting in the Ogu-Bolo Local Government Area of Rivers State. The gathering was organized under the banner of the Rainbow Coalition to mobilize support for President Bola Tinubu’s 2027 re-election bid and All Progressives Congress (APC) candidates.

Addressing traditional rulers, community leaders, youths, and party faithful, the FCT minister argued that any leader who openly disregards national symbols is unfit to hold the nation’s highest office.

‘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,’ Wike stated.

He added: ‘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.’

Beyond the anthem controversy, Wike took aim at Obi’s broader political trajectory and governance history. He alleged that the former Anambra State governor has a pattern of abandoning political platforms whenever internal crises emerge, rather than remaining to resolve them.

Wike further faulted Obi’s record as a state governor, pointing out that he failed to conduct local government elections throughout his eight-year tenure—a move he described as hypocritical given Obi’s frequent public advocacy for the rule of law.