Senate President Godswill Akpabio has urged Peter Obi, the Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate in the 2023 elections, to focus on resolving his party’s internal crisis before making divisive comments about Nigeria.

Akpabio made the remarks on Thursday during a Senate valedictory session in honour of the late Edwin Clark, leader of the Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF). The session was initiated through a motion by Opeyemi Bamidele, the Senate majority leader.

Responding to Obi’s recent statement that “the labour of Nigeria’s heroes past is now in vain,” Akpabio said:
“I beg to disagree. Let our brother, Peter Obi, show leadership, like Edwin Clark did, by resolving first the crisis in the Labour Party. For a man who wants to run Nigeria, you have one of the smallest parties in Nigeria, and you cannot even resolve the crisis in that Labour Party. Is it the crisis of Boko Haram that you will come and resolve in Nigeria?”

Akpabio highlighted his own achievements as former governor of Akwa Ibom State, listing major projects such as dualised roads, flyovers, an international hospital, and religious unity initiatives, including sponsoring thousands of Muslims and Christians on pilgrimages.

He warned aspiring leaders against stoking division through unguarded public comments or social media posts while failing to manage their own political structures.

“But for the social media, it is unregulated. I wish you luck as you have a field day,” Akpabio added.
“I am saying this because this is what Pa Edwin Clark would have advised if he were alive, so I have started to speak in his voice.”

Obi had earlier defended himself from accusations of “demarketing Nigeria,” insisting his comments reflect harsh economic realities, citing reports from the World Bank and UNICEF.