Senate President Godswill Akpabio has lashed out at former presidential candidate Peter Obi for his current criticism of Nigeria’s democratic credentials, warning that such “divisive” remarks might stoke confusion within the nation.
Akpabio’s rebuke got here on Thursday throughout a Senate valedictory session in honour of the late elder statesman, Chief Edwin Clark. He rejected Obi’s assertion made at Clark’s memorial lecture, the place the previous Anambra governor had lamented that Nigeria is “not a democratic nation” and that “the labour of our heroes’ previous is in useless.”
“I encourage to disagree,” Akpabio mentioned, visibly displeased. “Let Peter Obi present management first by resolving the disaster within the Labour Party. If he’s unable to resolve that disaster, is it the disaster of Boko Haram he can resolve?”
He additional accused these “aspiring to be presidential candidates” of contributing to nationwide disunity by way of careless rhetoric, significantly on social media.
“Inform them to resolve the small get together they’ve earlier than they arrive to speak concerning the bigger Nigeria. That’s what Pa Edwin Clark would have suggested,” he added.
The Senate President’s remarks comply with mounting backlash from key political figures together with Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, who additionally faulted Obi’s current speech at Johns Hopkins College within the U.S., the place he described Nigeria as having extra poor individuals than China, Indonesia, and Vietnam mixed.
Sanwo-Olu labelled the feedback “unflattering” and “disturbing,” urging distinguished Nigerians to challenge the nation positively on worldwide platforms. “You do not need to market the federal government, however all of us owe an obligation to market Nigeria,” he mentioned.
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However Obi has stood his floor. Talking at Clark’s memorial in Abuja, he insisted that his statements have been factual and supposed to spark trustworthy conversations, to not “demarket” Nigeria.
“I spoke a couple of days in the past and folks mentioned I’m demarketing Nigeria. When is reality being demarketing?” Obi requested. “World {Bank} has simply proven that 75% of Nigerians in rural areas are poor. UNICEF mentioned Nigeria has over two million malnourished kids—the second highest on this planet. Are they demarketing Nigeria?”
Obi maintained that the true menace to Nigeria just isn’t criticism however denial.
“Let’s face the fact,” he mentioned.
The alternate highlights a deepening ideological rift between main political voices on how finest to characterize Nigeria’s challenges—at residence and overseas.
