The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, on Thursday threw a jab at ex-Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi, urging him to focus on resolving the internal crises within his party before aspiring to lead Nigeria.

Akpabio issued the taunt during the Valedictory Session in honour of the late Niger Delta elder statesman and former Federal Commissioner for Information, Chief Edwin Clark.

He suggested that Obi’s fixation on national issues would be better grounded if he first demonstrated leadership within his own party, which is enmessed in protracted leadership crises.

“If 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 asked pointedly. “Those who are aspiring as presidential candidates should stop using social media to sow division. Tell them to fix the small party they have before dreaming of governing the entire country.”

The Senate President contrasted Obi’s track record with his own achievements in governance, citing infrastructure development, investments in health and education, and religious unity efforts during his time as governor.

“I can tell you about the dualised roads in my city, the international hospitals, free and compulsory education, and the unity I brought by sponsoring thousands to Jerusalem and Mecca,” he said. “Let those who want to rule Nigeria start by fixing what’s in their hands.”

Akpabio’s remarks were a reaction to Obi’s comments made a day earlier, during his tribute to Clark, where the former Anambra governor claimed that the sacrifices of Nigeria’s past heroes had been in vain. Obi pointed to the worsening economic and social conditions in the country as evidence.

“We say the labour of our heroes past should not be in vain, but it is. People protested fuel price hikes under Jonathan, now that fuel is N900, they are silent,” Obi lamented.

In a related development, Edo State Governor Monday Okpebholo also lashed out at Obi for questioning the credibility of the September 21, 2024, governorship election in Edo.

Describing Obi’s remarks as “unfounded and disrespectful,” Okpebholo, through his Chief Press Secretary Fred Itua, insisted the election was conducted under high standards of transparency and fairness.

“Mr. Obi’s comments are baseless and appear to be politically motivated,” the statement read. “We urge him to respect the mandate given by Edo people and contribute positively to democratic discourse, not undermine it.”

Okpebholo warned that the peace and stability of Edo State must not be compromised by “reckless and divisive rhetoric.”