The Obidient Movement has flayed the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, for taking potshots at the presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 election, Mr Peter Obi.
Akpabio had, during the Senate’s plenary on Thursday, slammed Obi over his comments on the sorry state of affairs in the country, wherein he lamented that the labour of Nigeria’s past heroes appeared to be in vain.
Obi had spoken while paying glowing tribute to a fallen nationalist and elder statesman, Chief Edwin Clark, who died a few months ago.
Akpabio had countered Obi, insisting that the “labour of our heroes past” had not been in vain, accusing Obi of being reckless with these comments.
Akpabio then mocked Obi over the lingering crisis in the Labour Party by telling him to resolve the crisis in his “small party” before he can aspire to join the 2027 presidential race.
But the Obidient Movement, in a statement on Saturday, accused Akpabio’s party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), of being behind the leadership crisis in the Labour Party.
The statement, signed by the group’s Director of Strategic Communications and Media, Nana Kazaure, accused the APC of sponsoring rejected LP chieftains to destabilise the party.
The group described the Senate on Akpabio’s watch as the worst in Nigeria’s history, saying that he lacked the discretion and self-control required of a good leader.
“It is well known that the President of the 10th Senate is not particularly renowned for the substance or depth of his public utterances. However, we did not anticipate that he would descend to such an embarrassing low.
“For the benefit of Senator Akpabio, the internal issues within the Labour Party were duly taken before the courts by stakeholders of the party under the leadership of Mr Peter Obi.
“The Supreme Court – the highest court in the land – gave a clear and unambiguous ruling, affirming that the individual currently parading himself as the party chairman is doing so illegally.
“Rather than comply with the court’s directive, this usurper has been emboldened by the ruling APC, which continues to provide him with state security cover. These actions have rendered the Senate President’s insinuation that Mr Obi is overwhelmed by intra-party crises not only disingenuous but also hypocritical,” the group said.
Knocking Akpabio further, the statement said, “It is deeply ironic and unbecoming for Senator Akpabio to publicly highlight a situation his party has played a key role in manufacturing and sustaining. If anything, his comments serve only to advertise his complicity in the artificial and externally driven disruptions to the Labour Party.
“There is, in fact, no crisis within the Labour Party. What persists is the shameless interference of the APC – Senator Akpabio’s party – in facilitating the illegal tenure of Julius Abure, despite the clear ruling of the Supreme Court.”
The Obidient Movement described Obi as a man who has a sterling record of achievements in public office, which it said Akpabio can neither controvert nor diminish.
