The Obidient Movement, a political pressure group backing Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate Peter Obi, has launched a scathing attack on Senate President Godswill Akpabio following his recent comments questioning Obi’s leadership capabilities.
Akpabio had claimed that Obi, who aspires to lead Nigeria, has failed to resolve a minor crisis within the Labour Party (LP). In a fiery response, the Obidient Movement, through its Director of Strategic Communication and Media, Nana Kazaure, accused Akpabio’s All Progressives Congress (APC) of orchestrating the LP crisis by providing state-sponsored security to the sacked LP National Chairman, Julius Abure.
In a press statement released on Saturday, Kazaure described the 10th Senate under Akpabio as “the worst in Nigeria’s history,” criticizing the Senate President for his lack of discretion and self-control. “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,” the statement read.
Kazaure clarified that the LP’s internal issues, led by Obi, were resolved through the courts, with the Supreme Court ruling that Abure’s claim to the party chairmanship is illegal. However, the group alleged that the APC has emboldened Abure by providing him with state security, undermining the court’s directive. “The Senate President’s insinuation that Mr. Obi is overwhelmed by intra-party crises is not only disingenuous but also hypocritical,” Kazaure stated.
The movement accused Akpabio of complicity in the APC’s alleged interference in LP affairs, asserting that there is no genuine crisis within the Labour Party, only “shameless interference” by the APC to sustain Abure’s illegal tenure. They defended Obi’s record, describing him as a leader with a “sterling record of achievements in public office” that Akpabio cannot diminish.
