Arise News anchor, Rufai Oseni, has apologised to the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) after watching the full video of the party’s Lagos town hall meeting, which showed that the new national anthem was rendered at the event.
Oseni had earlier criticised the opposition party following allegations that members refused to sing the current national anthem during the gathering.
However, in a fresh statement shared on his verified X account on Sunday, the broadcaster admitted that his earlier comments were no longer valid after reviewing the complete footage.
He acknowledged that the new national anthem was indeed rendered at the meeting and apologised to the party over his earlier criticism.
“All my commentary is invalid now that I have seen the video that the new national anthem was rendered at the NDC Lagos town hall. Sorry NDC,” Oseni wrote.
The Arise News presenter also urged other individuals who criticised the party over the controversy to follow his example and publicly apologise.
According to him, it would only be fair for those who attacked the NDC based on incomplete video clips to correct their positions after the emergence of the full footage.
The national anthem controversy had generated heated reactions on social media in recent days, with some critics accusing the NDC and its presidential candidate, Peter Obi, of disrespecting Nigeria’s national symbols.
The party, however, maintained that the current national anthem was sung during the Lagos town hall meeting, accusing its critics of relying on edited video clips to misrepresent what happened at the event.
Oseni’s apology comes amid the controversy surrounding the party’s position on the national anthem and the political exchanges involving Obi and other opposition figures.
