Senate President Godswill Akpabio has taken aim at Labour Party’s former presidential candidate, Peter Obi, over his recent comment that the efforts of Nigeria’s past heroes have been in vain. Speaking at a Senate valedictory session in honor of the late elder statesman, Edwin Clark, Akpabio urged Obi to first address the internal conflicts within the Labour Party before aspiring to lead the country.
Obi made the controversial statement the day before, during a memorial lecture in Abuja for Pa Edwin Clark. In his speech, Obi questioned the integrity of past civic activism, pointing out the contrast between the public outcry during former President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration over fuel price hikes and the silence under the current government, despite even harsher economic conditions.
He lamented that, despite the sacrifices of Nigeria’s founding fathers, current issues like rising malnutrition, electoral malpractice, and deteriorating governance signaled a betrayal of those ideals. “Their labor is in vain,” Obi stated, citing economic mismanagement and a lack of democratic integrity in recent elections.
In response, Akpabio strongly rejected Obi’s claims, asserting that the legacies of Pa Edwin Clark and other national icons should not be undermined. He also emphasized that, as a political leader, Obi should focus on resolving the ongoing internal strife within his party if he hopes to pursue national leadership with credibility.
