Former Vice President of Nigeria, Atiku Abubakar, has condemned the singing of President Bola Tinubu’s political anthem, ‘On Your Mandate’, during the opening session of the 2025 All Nigerian Judges Conference.
Atiku, in a statement on Wednesday, said he initially thought the video was fake when he came across it, but later confirmed it was genuine.
The former Vice President described such a happening at the event as reckless, scandalous, disgraceful, and deeply irresponsible.
According to him, singing such a song during a gathering of Nigeria’s judiciary leaders, who are supposed to be totally apolitical, is part of attempts by the Tinubu administration to foster a one-party state in Nigeria.
While condemning the development, Atiku reminded President Tinubu that the allegiance of the judiciary is to the nation’s constitution and not his personal political leadership.
He further warned against dragging the judiciary into the partisan waters by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
His full statement reads, “On Monday, I was sent a video clip from Channels TV’s coverage of the opening session of the 2025 All Nigerian Judges Conference. What I saw was nothing short of an assault on our national dignity: “On Your Mandate,” President Tinubu’s personal political anthem, was brazenly played in place of the National Anthem at the end of the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun’s speech.
“My first instinct was to dismiss it as a deepfake. But once it was confirmed to be authentic—an actual reflection of what transpired on the very day President Tinubu lectured the judiciary on integrity and the rule of law, I waited for an explanation from the Presidency or the office of the CJN. Silence. Total, deafening silence.
“This incident is not isolated. The Tinubu-led APC government has consistently pursued a systematic capture of state institutions, crushing opposition voices, and steering Nigeria toward a de facto one-party state.
“Ironically, on the same day, President Tinubu stood before Nigerian judges and sermonized about safeguarding integrity and upholding the sanctity of their profession. He stressed that “confidence is the lifeblood of justice,” and that public perception must be fiercely protected to sustain our democracy.
“Yet, while preaching morality, his administration allowed (or engineered) the playing of his own partisan campaign music before the entire Nigerian judiciary — a shocking desecration of protocol, ethics, and national pride.
“Let it be said clearly and without hesitation: Replacing the National Anthem with Tinubu’s “On Your Mandate” in a hall full of judges is reckless, scandalous, disgraceful, and deeply irresponsible.
“It is the most blatant signal yet that this government is attempting to drag the judiciary into the partisan gutters of the APC, if not coerce a wholesale “defection” of Nigerian judges into political alignment.
“How can confidence be built when the executive arm openly inserts partisan propaganda into a solemn judicial gathering? How can judges dispense justice fearlessly when Tinubu’s operatives are busy eroding the boundaries between state, party, and personal ambition?
“Let the records be clear: Nigerian judges swore an oath to defend the Constitution, justice, and the rule of law, not to stand “on the mandate” of Bola Ahmed Tinubu or any other individual. This affront must be condemned by all who still believe in constitutional democracy.”
Meanwhile, Naija News reports that the National Judicial Institute (NJI) has debunked reports circulating on social media alleging that judges at the opening ceremony of the 2025 All Nigeria Judges Conference sang the political tune “On Your Mandate We Shall Stand” in support of President Bola Tinubu.
A video shared online on Tuesday showed judges rising to their feet as the song was played to usher President Tinubu to the podium, sparking claims of political partisanship among members of the judiciary.
Reacting on Wednesday, the NJI described the insinuations as misleading and inaccurate, insisting that the only song rendered collectively by participants during the event was the national anthem, which was performed at both the start and end of the ceremony.
