In recent times, President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio may have been in the news for what would advert the minds of many as the wrong reasons. And that is the image his traducers want to paint of the good man. They want to create for him a public perception of a villain who is incorrigibly bad and incapable of any good despite his robust record of impact on people’s lives and extensive benevolence that replete his history.
Interestingly, these ill informed and impish views are not only contrived untruths with factual deficiencies , they are also deliberately intended to impugn his character for cheap political gains, array him against the people and discredit him to reduce his electoral and national value .
In recent times, every public utterance by Akpabio no matter how well intentioned is deliberately skewed to meet a predetermined purpose and representation. It is why the statement of the MD of NDDC at an event in Portharcourt which was in every sense innocent was mischievously quoted out of context and ascribed to Senator Akpabio to make him look bad and against the people. How can Senator Akpabio be against the people? Even his service pedigree from his life in the private sector, to that of public service beginning from when he was commissioner, two terms governor, Minority Leader , Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and now President of the Senate, acquit him as a man of the people . The prejudiced views which cast him as an Aristocrat on a high horse who looks down on the people and mocks them are of course untenable in every respect .
The serving President of the Senate is one leader who had long chosen to be different. His humble and spartan beginning had built in him the virtue of empathy while growing up. It also inculcated in him a surfeit of other values some of which are humility, compassion, generosity, hardwork and the fear of God. Akpabio is an embodiment of the aforementioned sterling values. And these values are at the core of our value system which he is a part of. It is difficult to find people who are strong adherents to the value system stray into mindless absurdly in their public conducts except in minor cases of infallibility that are common to all humans . It is such a minor infallibility that Akpabio’s traducers often magnify to have his pound of flesh. But because his political net worth is more than their shenanigans and pedestrian darts , Nigerians still have faith in his leadership of the Senate.
Reflecting on what I call political net worth, one cannot fail to see his bridge building skill. Akpabio is one politician who receives a defeaning ovation of almost equal measure in any part of the country he visits. He is loved and always celebrated lavishly anywhere he finds himself. This bridge building skill is eloquent in the synergy that underlines the relationship between the Executive and the current National Assembly which Akpabio is Chairman. The relationship has led to increased collaboration leading to expeditious passage of Bills especially the 2024 budget that saw members of the National Assembly working round the clock to ensure its timeous passage.
But in the face of this active collaboration, the National Assembly has not compromised its independence. It has continued to be on the side of the people and in strict observance of the principle of separation of powers. This, it has done through opposing policies the Senate suspects would bring more hardship to the people. The case of electricity tariff and other interventions like labour unrest and minimum wage saga are testimonies of Akpabio’s commitment to the people. And so let no one mislead anyone with the disinformation that Akpabio is anti- people.
It is unfortunate that many see constant frictions or confrontation between the executive and Legislature as the only way the latter could be seen as being effective. What many do not know is that those confrontations are driven more by self interest and ego and not the collective good of the people. And in acting in that manner, the people suffer as they are denied the benefits of good governance. A legislature that is working for the people is sober, reflective and farsighted. It weighs the implication of an action and makes decisions that side with the interest of the people. That is the 10th Senate I see under the leadership of Senator Akpabio. It is not given to unnecessary wranglings and confrontation but engagement that would pave the way for a new Nigeria.
Toeing this egalitarian path has not fared well with some political elites who have always profited from political storms between the executive and the legislature. For changing the crude dynamics and ensuring a paradigm shift, he must be scapegoated even in common human frailties. But whose interests are these people hounding and haunting Akpabio serving? Certainly not the Nigerian people’s interest.
I dare to add that the President of the Senate may also be a target of the hegemonic politics of a section of the North which feels that it should be in charge of the legislature as a tool to rein in the President and blackmail him at will. Such moves have at least been witnessed in the actions of some Northern senators. The protection of Akpabio is inextricably bound to the preservation of the polity and in harmony. Anything that would harm the stability of the 10th Senate under Akpabio would widen the nation’s dichotomy and introduce mutual suspicion across the political spectrum.
At this dire time of the nation’s history, what the country needs are patriots, not ethnic or tribal champions. We need Nigerians who think Nigeria before their ethnic/tribal affiliations. We need leaders who are ready to subsume ethnic cleavages for national interest. We need leaders who are ready to stand shoulder to shoulder to salvage this Nation and restore her to the laudable dream of our founding fathers. Akpabio is a spectacular example of this national ideal. He is broad-minded, accommodating, receptive, sensitive and at home with every section of the country. Nigeria would not have asked for a better head of the Legislature at a time like this. Let us rally around him , support him and maximize his experience and leadership potential for national development.
* Joe Peter is a public affairs analyst
