The National Judicial Institute (NJI) has debunked social media reports claiming judges sang the political chant “On Your Mandate We Shall Stand” during the opening ceremony of the 2025 All Nigeria Judges Conference attended by President Bola Tinubu.
A video that circulated online on Tuesday showed judges rising as the tune played, prompting Atiku’s camp to accuse them of openly expressing political support for the president.
But in a statement on Wednesday, the NJI dismissed the reports as false and misleading, insisting that the only song rendered by all participants during the ceremony was the national anthem, taken at both the beginning and end of the event.
According to the institute, the brief rendition of “On Your Mandate” was played solely by the Guards Brigade Band as part of its official protocol to usher the President to the podium, a tradition the judiciary neither requested nor controlled.
It explained that judges stood up only out of respect for the office of the president as he approached the podium, not as a gesture of political allegiance.
“The attention of the National Judicial Institute (NJI) has been drawn to several misleading and inaccurate reports circulating on social media suggesting that judges sang a political chorus in allegiance to the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. This claim is entirely false and does not reflect what transpired at the ceremony,” the statement read.
“For clarity, the only song rendered collectively by all participants was the National Anthem. No judge sang or chanted any political song at any point during the programme.”
The NJI stressed that the judiciary remains neutral and insulated from partisan politics, adding that its commitment to constitutional principles should not be misinterpreted.
“The brief rendition of the tune ‘On Your Mandate’ was not initiated, requested, or endorsed by the Judiciary. It was played solely by the Guards Brigade Band as part of their ceremonial protocol,” the institute added.
It further emphasized that the judiciary “remains strictly non-partisan, deeply committed to constitutional neutrality, and wholly insulated from political activities or symbols of political allegiance.”
