Dino Melaye, a former lawmaker who represented Kogi West Senatorial District on the Nigerian Senate led protesters to sing Nigeria’s “outdated” Nationwide Anthem.
Melaye joined the protesters main made up of members of the Obidient Motion and the Kwankwasiyya Motion on the Unity Fountain in Maitama district of Abuja.
Alongside the protesters, the previous lawmaker sang the outdated Nationwide Anthem, “Come up O Compatriots”.
Recall that President Bola Tinubu signed the Nationwide Anthem Invoice 2024 into legislation on Might 29, 2024.
This motion by the president formally reinstated the “outdated” nationwide anthem, “Nigeria, We Hail Thee”, changing the earlier one, “Come up, O Compatriots”.
The reversal to the older model of the anthem used from independence in 1960 till 1978 was met with outrage from Nigerians with many condemning the motion of the president and the Nationwide Meeting.
The change was introduced throughout a joint Nationwide Meeting session marking the twenty fifth anniversary of Nigeria’s 4th Republic
Since its reversal, “Nigeria, We Hail Thee” has been used at official occasions throughout the nation.
Nevertheless, in what got here as a shock on the #OperationSaveOurDemocracy protest led by main leaders of the coalition occasion, the African Democratic Congress, Melaye mounted a transferring van and cheered the group to sing the “outdated” anthem.
POLITICS NIGERIA gathers that the protesters are headed to the headquarters of the Impartial Nationwide Electoral Fee (INEC) to protest the derecognition of the David Mark-led management of the occasion.
In a put up shared on X, Atiku Abubakar, a former vice chairman and chief of the ADC stated they’re out on the streets of Abuja, Nigeria’s capital metropolis to peacefully protest in opposition to the partisanship of the electoral umpire.
He stated, “Our patriotic stance is aimed toward safeguarding our democracy and stopping the enthronement of a dictatorship.”
Additionally Peter Obi in a separate put up referred to as on Nigerians to affix the coalition leaders to reject the plan by President Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress-led authorities to show Nigeria right into a one-party state.
The protesters have been additionally joined by different key leaders of the ADC together with a former minister of inside, Rauf Aregbesola; a former governor of Kano State and chief of the Kwankwasiyya Motion, Rabiu Kwankwaso; a former minister of transport, Rotimi Amaechi amongst others.
“Come up O Compatriots!”
ADC’s #OccupyINEC Protest.
We’re exterior! pic.twitter.com/RFSy84rLG1
— Bolaji Abdullahi (@BolajiADC) April 8, 2026