Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has condemned what he described as a “shocking assault on national dignity” after a video emerged from Channels TV’s coverage of the opening session of the 2025 All Nigerian Judges Conference.

According to Atiku, the footage showed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s campaign anthem, “On Your Mandate,” being played in place of the National Anthem at the close of a speech delivered by the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun.

Atiku said his initial reaction was to assume the video was fabricated, but upon confirmation that it was authentic and indeed occurred on the very day President Tinubu lectured judges on integrity and the rule of law, he expected a prompt explanation from the Presidency or the CJN’s office. None came, he said, describing the silence as “deafening.”

The former Vice President argued that the incident fits into what he termed a continuing pattern under the Tinubu-led APC government—one he claims is aimed at capturing state institutions, suppressing dissent, and edging Nigeria toward a one-party state.

Atiku pointed out the irony of the situation, noting that President Tinubu, while addressing the judiciary on the same day, had emphasized that “confidence is the lifeblood of justice” and urged judges to protect public trust in the democratic system.

He said this message stood in stark contrast to the administration’s actions, which he described as “a shocking desecration of protocol, ethics, and national pride” by allowing, or possibly orchestrating, the substitution of the National Anthem with a partisan political song before the nation’s judges.

Atiku called the act “reckless, scandalous, disgraceful, and deeply irresponsible,” warning that it was the most blatant signal yet of an attempt to drag the judiciary into partisan politics or pressure judges into alignment with the ruling party.

He questioned how judicial confidence could be fostered when partisan propaganda appears at official judicial gatherings, stressing that Nigerian judges swore an oath to defend the Constitution and the rule of law—not to uphold any individual’s political mandate.

Atiku concluded by urging all Nigerians who believe in constitutional democracy to condemn the incident unequivocally.