Solve problems in LP before dreaming of becoming President – Akpabio tells Obi

Solve problems in LP before dreaming of becoming President – Akpabio tells Obi

Senate President Godswill Akpabio has asked former presidential candidate of Labour party, Peter Obi, to solve the internal crisis within his political party before thinking of becoming a President.

Akpabio stated this on Thursday, May 8 while berating Obi for claiming that the labours of Nigeria’s past heroes are presently in vain.

Recall that while speaking at the memorial lecture in honor of late Niger Delta leader, Edwin Clarke, on  Wednesday, May 7, Obi said the current state of the nation shows that the Labours of our heroes past have now become in vain.

 The former Anambra state governor questioned the silence of those who protested against the administration of ex-president Goodluck Jonathan. He queried whether they are now de@d, saying they protested against Jonathan when he increased fuel from N87 to N120 and a dollar exchanged at N900.

“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?

I listened to my brother Mike when you talked about, ‘may the Labour of our heroes past not be in vain’. I’m happy that Jonathan is here. But I can tell you their sacrifice is in vain.

They have sacrificed for nothing. 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?

So why are we saying it (labours of heroes past) should not be in vain? 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? 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.”

However, Akpabio, in his reaction to Obi, said the Labours of Clark cannot by any means be said to be in vain. He advised Obi to first resolve the internal issues in his “small party” before aiming for the presidency of Nigeria.

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

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.”