In recent times, a debate has been quietly growing across Nigeria’s political space. It is a debate about loyalty, symbolism, and the meaning of democratic mandate.

At the center of the conversation is the phrase “On your mandate we shall stand,” a political chorus associated with supporters of Bola Ahmed Tinubu since the 2023 elections. The phrase, often used in political gatherings and public events, has gradually entered official spaces where some citizens believe it does not belong.

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For many Nigerians watching from outside government circles, the concern is simple: should public officials pledge loyalty to an individual leader, or to the country and its constitution?

Nigeria’s democracy rests on a foundational principle; power belongs to the people. Presidents, governors, lawmakers, ministers, and judges do not appoint themselves. They emerge through elections or constitutional appointments designed to serve the public interest. In that sense, the mandate any leader holds is not personal property. It is the collective will of citizens expressed through the ballot box.

When Nigerians voted in the 2023 general election, they did not simply vote for a personality. They voted within a constitutional system that defines leadership as a temporary responsibility entrusted by the people. That is why public officers, from judges to legislators, take oaths not to individuals but to the Federal Republic of Nigeria and its constitution.

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This conversation gained national attention during the 2025 All Nigeria Judges Conference in Abuja, where a video circulated on social media suggesting that judges stood while the tune “On Your Mandate We Shall Stand” played as President Tinubu entered the hall. Critics immediately questioned whether such symbolism blurred the line between institutional neutrality and political loyalty.

However, the National Judicial Institute quickly clarified the situation. According to the institute, no judge sang any political chorus at the event. The only song officially rendered by participants was the national anthem, while the controversial tune was played briefly by the Guards Brigade band as part of ceremonial protocol while the president approached the podium.

Even with this clarification, the public debate did not disappear. For some observers, the issue goes beyond that particular incident. It touches a deeper national question: how should democratic institutions relate to political power?

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In mature democracies, institutions such as the judiciary, legislature, and civil service are expected to maintain a careful distance from partisan symbolism. Their legitimacy depends on the perception that they serve the nation as a whole, not the administration of the day.

Supporters of the president, on the other hand, argue that expressions like “standing on the mandate” are simply a recognition that the leader was democratically elected. From this perspective, acknowledging the president’s mandate is not an act of personal loyalty but an acceptance of the outcome of the democratic process.

Yet critics insist that language matters. When officials appear to publicly align themselves with a leader’s personal mandate, it can raise concerns about independence, especially in institutions that must remain impartial, such as the courts.

The truth likely sits somewhere between these two perspectives.

President Tinubu did not appoint himself to power. Nigerians voted, and the constitutional process declared him president. That mandate deserves respect. But it is also important to remember that the mandate ultimately belongs to the Nigerian people, not to any single political figure.

Democracy works best when loyalty flows upward, from leaders to the nation, not the other way around.

In the end, the real oath that binds Nigeria’s institutions is not to a party slogan or a campaign chorus. It is to a larger idea: the promise that every public office exists to serve the people of Nigeria, first and always.

And that remains the standard by which any democracy must be measured.

By: Fatima Adamu

Mandate of the People or Loyalty to a Man?

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