Senate President Godswill Akpabio has strongly rebuked Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, for allegedly disrespecting Nigeria’s founding fathers in a recent statement.
Akpabio’s reaction came on Thursday during a valedictory session held in honour of late Niger Delta elder statesman and former Federal Commissioner for Information, Chief Edwin Clark. The remarks followed Obi’s tribute to Clark, in which he claimed that the sacrifices made by Nigeria’s past heroes had been rendered futile due to the nation’s ongoing challenges, especially economic hardship.
Obi had stated, “Why do we keep saying the labours of our heroes past should not be in vain? Their sacrifices are in vain. They have sacrificed for nothing. We were in this country when people protested under Jonathan for far less. Now that fuel is N900, where are the protesters?”
Reacting to Obi’s comments, Akpabio criticized what he described as an unproductive obsession with the presidency, noting that Obi had failed to resolve internal disputes in his own party. “If you can’t fix the Labour Party’s internal crisis, is it Boko Haram or national issues you’ll fix?” Akpabio questioned.
Highlighting his own achievements while in office, Akpabio referenced infrastructural and educational developments during his tenure, as well as initiatives that promoted religious unity. He further condemned the use of social media by some political figures, accusing them of stoking division rather than fostering unity.
“Presidential hopefuls who constantly use unregulated social media platforms to cause division should first fix their party before laying claims to national leadership,” he concluded.
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