News Investigators/ The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has said only irresponsible Nigerians will vote for the New Democratic Congress (NDC), following what he described as the party’s defiance of national symbols.
Mr. Keyamo said Nigerians would ultimately decide whether the conduct of the party’s supporters, including its presidential hopeful, Peter Obi, demonstrated the level of responsibility and maturity expected of individuals seeking political leadership.
His remarks come amid controversy over the refusal of some Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) supporters, including the party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi, to sing the newly adopted national anthem at a political gathering in Lagos on Thursday.
Instead, Obi, alongside the party’s Lagos governorship candidate, Funso Doherty, and other attendees, sang the former national anthem, “…Arise O Compatriot…Nigeria Call Obey…”
Speaking on Friday during an exclusive interview on Frontline, a current affairs programme on Eagle 102.5 FM, Ilese-Ijebu, the minister said the action could be interpreted as an attempt to demonstrate defiance against the same national system the party hopes to take over, while reiterating what he described as a campaign slogan against the APC.
“Like they say of APC, they say it’s only mad men that will vote for APC. So let me return the campaign slogan, It’s only irresponsible people that will vote for that type of party called NDC that defy national symbols, it’s only irresponsible that will vote for them,” Keyamo said.
Keyamo argued that disregarding national symbols, disrespecting the law and showing disregard for the office of the President were issues Nigerians should consider when assessing the party’s suitability for leadership.
“For me, it is left for the Nigerian people to decide whether these human beings you have now seen disregarding national symbols, disrespecting the law and disrespecting the office of the president that they so crave whether they are responsible enough to aspire to that office,” he stated.
The minister further suggested that while some Nigerians might applaud the action as a demonstration of political defiance, the party could lose the support of voters he described as cerebral and moderate.
According to him, the party had already lost the confidence of those categories of voters through its conduct.
He said, “They have lost the cerebral and the in-betweens. They have lost them by that action. Maybe those who are downright irresponsible, they will heal them and they will vote for them. But we’ll see on election day how many Nigerians are irresponsible.”
However, when asked whether singing the old national anthem amounted to a violation of the law, the minister clarified that he was unaware of any specific legal penalty attached to the action.
He explained that although the current national anthem had been adopted by law and Nigerians were expected to abide by it, the absence of a prescribed penalty meant the action did not automatically constitute a punishable offence.
Keyamo said, ” There’s no penalty that is prescribed by law. No penalty. The law just say this is our new national anthem and then you should think we should all abide by it. It becomes a crime when there’s a penalty attached to it.”
He added that the action was, in his assessment, an act of political defiance, leaving Nigerians to determine whether it reflected the kind of leadership the country required.
“But as far as I know, except I am getting it wrong, except I’ll cross check my fact again. It’s just an act of defiance on them and I think Nigerians will make up their minds,” he said.
