Akpabio to Peter Obi: Fix Your Party First Before Aiming for Presidency

 

Senate President Godswill Akpabio has taken a swipe at Labour Party’s former presidential candidate, Peter Obi, advising him to put his own house in order before thinking of leading Nigeria.

Akpabio’s comments came on Thursday, May 8, in response to Obi’s recent speech where he lamented that the labours of Nigeria’s past heroes are now in vain.

Obi made those remarks a day earlier, on May 7, during a memorial lecture in honour of the late Niger Delta leader, Edwin Clark. In his speech, Obi expressed deep frustration over the state of the nation, questioning whether the sacrifices of Nigeria’s founding figures have truly paid off.

“For somebody like me who had just been part of the 2023 general election, he lived a life of courage, a life of sacrifice, a life of justice, a life that is valued. But most importantly, he continued living that life to the end. So why are we saying it (labours of heroes past) should not be in vain?"

Obi went on to question the silence of activists and citizens who once protested fuel hikes under former President Goodluck Jonathan, but have remained quiet under worse conditions today.

“We were in this country when people were protesting, when there was no need to protest under Goodluck Jonathan. Where are those protesters? Have they died? Where are they?
Jonathan increased fuel from N87 to N120, and people were protesting in this country. And when it was the N900, they weren’t protesting.
Again, so why are we saying it (labours of heroes past) should not be in vain?”

Obi highlighted growing issues like child malnutrition and electoral malpractice, suggesting that Nigeria is no longer a democratic country.

“UNICEF two days ago announced that Nigeria now has over 2 million malnourished children, the second highest in the world. Are they de-marketing Nigeria? That’s just the reality. Their labour is in vain.
We have a country now that’s not democratic. We are not a democratic country, let’s tell ourselves the truth. Elections that happened in Edo, are they democratic? Everybody knows who won that generation. So why are we keeping it and saying let their work not be in vain?
It’s in vain. So we can start picking the pieces now because they’ve destroyed everything people have sacrificed for.”

But in a strong rebuttal, Akpabio dismissed Obi’s claims and challenged his credibility to speak on national issues.

“If you cannot resolve the crisis in your Labour Party, how can you solve the crisis of Boko Haram or other major national issues?"

The Senate President emphasized that the labours of people like Edwin Clark are not in vain, pointing to his own achievements as a former governor.

“I urge those aspiring to lead Nigeria to first address the issues within their own parties. I can proudly speak about the dualized thoroughfares in my city, the international hospitals, and the digitalized governor’s offices.
I also initiated free and compulsory education and worked towards religious unity by sponsoring over 5,800 Muslims and over 12,000 to 15,000 Christians on pilgrimages to Rome and Jerusalem.”

The clash between both leaders highlights the deepening political tensions as Nigeria grapples with worsening economic conditions and questions of leadership.