Orukpe described the reports as false and misleading, insisting that the new national anthem was rendered by party members at the event.
In a statement on Saturday, the candidate said he was physically present at the town hall meeting alongside other party members and witnessed the observance of national protocols.
He alleged that elements of the ruling party were attempting to mislead Nigerians by promoting the narrative that NDC members rejected the new anthem.
Orukpe also accused some media platforms that covered the event of circulating selected footage while failing to publish the complete video showing party members singing the new national anthem.
He challenged those spreading the reports to release the full footage for Nigerians to examine and draw their own conclusions.
“In this age of digital media, facts are not difficult to establish. The complete footage exists. Let the public examine the evidence and judge for themselves,” he said.
The candidate maintained that the party’s commitment to Nigeria should not be judged through what he described as manufactured controversies and political propaganda.
He added that the NDC respected the country’s national symbols, institutions and sovereignty.
“Our commitment to Nigeria is not measured by manufactured controversies or political propaganda. We respect our national symbols, our institutions and the sovereignty of our country.
“I challenge those spreading this falsehood to produce the complete footage rather than selectively editing events to serve partisan interests,” Orukpe added.
The controversy followed reports that Obi, alongside the party’s Lagos State governorship candidate, Funso Doherty, and other supporters, recited the old national anthem, Nigeria, We Hail Thee, during the town hall meeting on Thursday.
A viral video from the event showed the attendees singing the old anthem after the event anchor reportedly switched to it when the new anthem was not immediately rendered.
The old national anthem was reintroduced on May 29, 2024, after President Bola Tinubu signed into law a bill passed by the National Assembly to restore it.
The anthem, Nigeria, We Hail Thee, was originally used from the country’s independence in 1960 until 1978, when it was replaced with Arise, O Compatriots.
