National Anthem Row: Arise TV’s Rufai Oseni Apologizes to NDC Following Full Video Release

According to a report by The Daily Post on Sunday, November 15, renowned Arise News broadcaster Rufai Oseni has publicly apologized to the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) after reviewing unedited footage from the party’s recent Lagos town hall meeting.

The popular anchor had previously drawn sharp criticism toward the political party and its members, alleging that they deliberately refused to sing the newly introduced national anthem during the event.

However, following the emergence of complete video evidence, Oseni took to his verified X (formerly Twitter) handle on Sunday to retract his earlier statements.

In a display of journalistic accountability, he stated that all his prior commentary on the controversy was completely invalid.

“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 national anthem controversy had sparked intense backlash across various social media platforms over the preceding days.

Critics and political opponents seized upon edited video snippets to accuse the NDC and its prominent figures, including presidential hopeful Peter Obi, of showing disrespect toward national symbols.

Despite the heavy online vitriol, the party maintained its stance that the new anthem was indeed sung at the gathering, accusing detractors of circulating doctored or truncated footage to score cheap political points and mislead the general public.

Following his personal retraction, Rufai Oseni urged other commentators and media personalities who had heavily castigated the NDC based on incomplete clips to follow suit and issue apologies.

He emphasized that journalistic fairness demands public corrections when verifiable facts contradict initial reporting.

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