The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, has issued a warning to Peter Obi, cautioning him against making divisive statements.
This caution followed Obi’s critical remarks about Nigeria’s democracy during a memorial lecture honoring Pa Edwin Clark.
In his speech, Obi lamented Nigeria’s current condition, stating, “We are not a democratic country. Let’s tell ourselves the truth.
The labor of our heroes past is in vain.” His comments drew sharp criticism from Akpabio, who rejected Obi’s assertions during a valedictory session in the Senate chamber on Thursday.
Akpabio commended the resilience of voices like Clark’s for keeping Nigeria united through challenging times.
“I beg to disagree,” Akpabio said. “Let Peter Obi show leadership first by resolving the crisis in the Labour Party. If he is unable to resolve that crisis, is it the crisis of Boko Haram he can resolve?”
The Senate President also criticized social media commentators and political aspirants for spreading misinformation and making inflammatory statements. He urged them to focus on resolving internal issues within their political parties before addressing national matters. “Those aspiring to be presidential candidates are causing confusion with their mouths,” Akpabio remarked. “Resolve the small party crisis before speaking about the larger Nigeria. That is what Pa Edwin Clark would have advised.”
Meanwhile, Peter Obi has defended his comments and responded to criticism from Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and other detractors who accused him of portraying Nigeria negatively on the global stage.
Speaking at Johns Hopkins University in the United States, Obi highlighted Nigeria’s economic decline over the past 25 years and the resulting rise in poverty rates.
The former Anambra State governor compared Nigeria’s poverty statistics to those of China, Indonesia, and Vietnam combined, emphasizing that Nigeria has more impoverished people than all three countries together.
He attributed this situation to poor leadership and stressed that the quality of leadership directly impacts a nation’s fate.
Governor Sanwo-Olu condemned Obi’s remarks as “unflattering” and “disparaging,” arguing that prominent Nigerians have a responsibility to project the country positively on the global stage.
“When prominent Nigerians go overseas, they ought to project Nigeria positively,” Sanwo-Olu said in a statement.
“They do not have to do that for the government. But we all owe a duty to market Nigeria on the global stage rather than demarket her.
That is what true patriotism is about.”
In response, Obi maintained that his statements were factual and not intended to harm Nigeria’s image. Speaking at Pa Edwin Clark’s memorial lecture in Abuja, he questioned whether international organizations like the World Bank and UNICEF, which have released similar reports on poverty and malnutrition in Nigeria, were also “demarketing” the country.
“I spoke a few days ago and people said I am demarketing Nigeria. When is truth being demarketing?” Obi asked. “The World Bank has just shown that 75% of Nigerians in rural areas are poor. Is the World Bank marketing Nigeria? UNICEF recently reported that Nigeria has over two million malnourished children, the second highest in the world. Are they demarketing Nigeria? Let’s face the reality.”
As debates continue over Nigeria’s economic challenges and leadership issues, both sides stress the importance of constructive dialogue and unity in addressing the nation’s pressing problems.
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