Senate President Godswill Akpabio has accused the Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, of using “his mouth” via social media to incite tension and divisions in Nigeria.

Mr Akpabio berated Mr Obi for criticising the country’s situation under President Bola Tinubu’s watch, advising him to show leadership by tackling the crisis in his party first.

“Those who are aspiring as presidential candidates and trying to cause division with their mouths using social media, tell them to resolve the crisis in the smallest party they have first before taking about the larger Nigeria,” Mr Akpabio said during the plenary on Thursday. “But for the social media, it’s unregretted. I wish you luck as if you have a field day.”

On Wednesday, at a memorial for the late Edwin Clark, Mr Obi doubled down on his criticism of the Tinubu-led administration for allegedly running a country rife with the stealing of public funds.

The former presidential candidate claimed the labour of Nigeria’s past leaders has been sabotaged.

Mr Obi said, “What we see today is stealing, stealing, stealing. The labour of Nigeria’s past leaders is in vain. So we can start picking the pieces now because they’ve destroyed everything people have sacrificed for.”

Reacting, the Senate president, who served as a two-term governor in Akwa Ibom State, further stated that Mr Obi performed woefully as a two-term governor of Anambra.

“When somebody makes a situation that the labour of our heroes’ past is in vain, I beg to disagree. Let our brother Peter Obi show leadership, like Pa Edwin Clark did, by resolving first the crisis in the Labour party.

“For a man who wants to run Nigeria, you have one of the smallest parties in the country, and you can’t even resolve the crisis in the party. Is it the problem of Boko Haram you want to resolve?” Mr Akpabio said.

He added, “I would like us to be known for what we did when we had the opportunities. As I speak, I can tell you of a dualised thorough roads in my state; I can tell you about flyovers in my state; I can tell about an international airport and the best international hospital in my state.”