A solemn Senate tribute to the late Chief Edwin Clark on Thursday took a political turn as Senate President Godswill Akpabio used the occasion to launch a sharp attack on Labour Party’s Peter Obi.
The Senate had convened to pay tribute to Clark, a respected nationalist whose legacy spanned education, public service, and passionate advocacy for the Niger Delta.
But Akpabio dramatically shifted focus from the late statesman’s achievements to rebuke Obi over comments made a day earlier at Clark’s memorial lecture, where he declared that “the labour of our heroes past is in vain.”
Obi’s remark, meant to lament the state of the nation and the failure of successive governments to honour the ideals fought for by nationalists like Clark, was swiftly weaponised by Akpabio, who accused the former Anambra governor of making “divisive remarks” and undermining national unity.
“For someone who aspires to lead this nation, he should first demonstrate capacity by resolving the internal crisis within his own party,” Akpabio thundered on the Senate floor.
“If he cannot unite a small political platform like the Labour Party, how can he claim the ability to govern a diverse nation like Nigeria?”
Akpabio insisted that the mere survival of Nigeria as a sovereign entity was evidence that the sacrifices of past heroes were not in vain.
He also decried the role of unregulated social media in shaping what he called “false narratives,” saying younger Nigerians who didn’t witness Clark’s service were distorting his legacy online.
His comments, laden with political undertones, drew attention away from the bipartisan tributes being paid to Clark.
Many observers were stunned as Akpabio appeared more focused on Obi than on the man whose life the Senate had gathered to honour.
Earlier, former Plateau governor and senator from North Central, Simon Lalong, had recalled Clark’s lifelong efforts at national integration, notably the “handshake across the Niger” policy initiative to promote unity. Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin praised Clark’s principled stance on national issues, and Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele described him as “a man of honour and integrity who embodied the Nigerian spirit.”
Senator Seriake Dickson called Clark “the last of the titans,” while the entire Senate unanimously called for national immortalisation in his honour.
A moment of silence was observed, followed by glowing accounts of Clark’s contributions to education, justice, and minority rights.
Born in 1927, Clark began his career as a teacher and rose through the ranks to become a senator and federal commissioner, championing both regional development and national unity. His legacy includes founding the Edwin Clark Foundation and establishing a university in his hometown.
But despite the rich reflections, Akpabio’s political tirade against Obi overshadowed the day, drawing criticism for what many saw as a missed opportunity to unite rather than divide.
Instead of allowing Clark’s death to serve as a unifying moment for national reflection, Akpabio turned the Senate chamber into a podium for partisanship.
And so, rather than ending with collective homage to a departed elder statesman, the session will be remembered for how a political rivalry eclipsed national mourning.