Atiku Condemns On Your Mandate after the anthem was played at a judges’ conference, sparking controversy over alleged institutional capture
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has sharply criticised the playing of President Bola Tinubu’s campaign anthem during the opening of the 2025 All Nigeria Judges Conference, describing the moment as a shocking breach of protocol and a troubling signal for the nation’s democracy.
Also read: Atiku Abubakar Denies 2027 Candidacy Withdrawal Rumour
His reaction, captured in a widely circulated statement, forms the basis of his charge that Atiku Condemns On Your Mandate for allegedly undermining judicial neutrality.
Atiku said he initially dismissed the footage, which aired on television, as misleading until he confirmed its authenticity.
He argued that allowing a partisan campaign song to follow the Chief Justice’s address amounted to what he called an assault on Nigeria’s national dignity.
According to him, neither the Presidency nor the Chief Justice offered any form of explanation, a silence he characterised as deeply worrying.
He went further, accusing the administration of pursuing what he described as a calculated weakening of institutions.
The incident, he claimed, reflects a pattern of coercion and creeping political dominance that could drag the judiciary into unnecessary partisan tension. In his words, such actions risk nudging judges towards political loyalties rather than constitutional duties.
The National Judicial Institute, however, rejected suggestions that judges sang along or endorsed the anthem.
Its spokesperson clarified that the only song rendered by the participants was the national anthem, with the brief airing of On Your Mandate coming solely from the Guards Brigade Band, which acted under its own military protocol.
Despite the rebuttal, Atiku maintained that the episode remains a controversial reminder of the need to safeguard judicial independence.
Also read: Atiku slams Tinubu Independence Day speech as empty rhetoric
For him, Any move that creates even the faintest perception of bias at such a high-profile gathering is both reckless and avoidable, leaving the judiciary in an uncomfortable spotlight.
