Senate President Godswill Akpabio has criticized Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi over his recent remarks about the current state of the country.

Obi, while speaking at the Memorial Lecture in honour of elder statesman Edwin Clark on Wednesday, said that the sacrifices made by Nigeria’s past heroes had been wasted due to the present realities in the country.

Describing Nigeria as a nation in crisis, Obi said insecurity, corruption, and poor governance have undone the efforts of those who fought for a better future.

He said, “Let’s tell the truth. Their labour is in vain. We have a country now that is not democratic. We are not a democratic country.”

Obi defended his earlier comments on international platforms, saying he was not demarketing Nigeria but simply stating the truth about the country’s condition.

“I spoke a few days ago and people said I’m demarketing Nigeria. When is speaking the truth being demarketing Nigeria? The World Bank has just shown that 75% of Nigerians in rural areas are poor. Is the World Bank demarketing Nigeria? UNICEF two days ago released that Nigerians now have over two million malnourished children, the second highest in the world. Are they demarketing Nigeria?”

He further condemned recent elections in the country, especially in Edo State, calling them undemocratic.

“The election that happened in Edo State, is it democratic? Just the last election in Edo is the most undemocratic election. Everybody knows who won that election. So why are we keeping it and saying let their labour go in vain? It is in vain. So we can start picking the pieces now because they’ve destroyed everything people have sacrificed for.”

“Look at what is happening in Nigeria today. The country people sacrificed has turned into a crime scene. All we do today is stealing, stealing, stealing, stealing.”

Responding during plenary on Thursday, Senate President Akpabio challenged Obi to focus on uniting his party before criticizing the nation. The Labour Party is currently battling internal leadership disputes, with at least three factions claiming control.

Akpabio said, “When somebody makes a statement that the labels of our heroes pass, I beg to disagree. Let our brother, Peter Obi, show leadership, like Edwin Clark did, by resolving first the crisis in the Labor Party.”

He questioned Obi’s capacity to govern the nation.

“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 little party. Is it the crisis of Boko Haram that you will come and resolve in Nigeria?”

Akpabio added, “I would like us to be known for what we did when we had the opportunities. As I speak now, I can tell you about the dualized thoroughfares in my state. I can tell you about the flyovers in my state. I can tell you about the best international hospital in my state. I can tell you about the monuments of government houses that I built, both for the governor and deputy. I’m one of the best digitalized governor’s office in Nigeria. I can tell you about the best international stadium in West Africa. I can tell you about the free and compulsory education that I did for all Nigerians. I can tell you about the unity I brought in religion by sponsoring over 5,800 Muslims to the holy ground and over 12,000 to 15,000 Christians to Rome and Jerusalem.”

He also criticized politicians (likely referring to Obi) who, according to him, use social media to cause division.

“Those who are aspiring as presidential candidates and trying to cause division with their mouths using the social media, tell them to resolve the small crisis in the smallest party they have in Nigeria first before they come to talk about the larger Nigeria. But for the social media, it is unregulated. I wish you luck as you have a field days. I’m saying this because this is what Pa Edwin Clark would have advised if he were alive. So I’ve started to speak his voice.”