Senate President Godswill Akpabio has described former President Muhammadu Buhari as a model of personal discipline and integrity, insisting the former leader never embezzled public funds during his time in office.
Akpabio made the remark during an expanded Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting held in Buhari’s honour at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Thursday.
“President Buhari believed that discipline mattered. That integrity mattered. That leadership, even when lonely, must be anchored in something greater than power,” Akpabio said.
The Senate President, who served as Niger Delta Affairs Minister under Buhari, praised him as a “spartan leader” more committed to nation-building than personal enrichment.
“Let’s be honest — he was tough. A soldier who didn’t flinch under fire. A leader who didn’t flee from responsibility. And above all, a Nigerian whose loyalty to this nation was never up for sale.”
Akpabio argued that even Buhari’s fiercest critics respected his honesty, adding that the former president walked “the ridge of national conscience” without seeking populist approval.
“Whether in khaki or agbada, he remained firm in his belief that Nigeria was worth fighting for,” he added.
The tribute has stirred conversations across political circles and social media, with some Nigerians hailing Buhari’s moral record — while others questioned the assertion, citing economic hardship and unresolved corruption allegations under his watch.
