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Leadership like fire: Akpabio’s path to greatness

Published

7 months ago

October 27, 2025

Whirlwindnews

By Sufuyan Ojeifo

History, in its long and patient arc, is a master storyteller. Its finest tales often begin with conflict rather than applause, with accusation rather than acclaim. Before the garlands and the gratitude, there is the crucible, the fire through which greatness is tested and purified.

The recent wave of false accusations against Nigeria’s Senate President, Senator Godswill Obot Akpabio, belongs to this ancient pattern.

Far from diminishing him, they place him squarely in the historical company of giants like Socrates, Mansa Musa, Patrice Lumumba, and Nelson Mandela, whose trials became the prelude to vindication.

In every civilisation, those who dared to challenge convention were first rewarded with suspicion. Socrates, the Athenian philosopher, was condemned in 399 BC on the charge of corrupting the youth and defying the gods.

Whereas, his true offence was the audacity to question the complacency of his city. He unsettled the powerful and embarrassed the comfortable. The state silenced him, but not his truth.

Today, the same Athens that sentenced him to death has his statue in its squares, while his false accusers are completely forgotten, condemned by history to nothing more than an ignoble footnote.

Socrates’ calm dignity before false judgement still echoes across millennia, a reminder that time is the ultimate judge of moral worth. Akpabio’s silence in the face of lies carries the same wisdom: that one does not wrestle with shadows when history itself is one’s witness.

Nigeria’s Senate President now finds himself walking a road well-travelled by men whose lives became lessons in perseverance. Like Socrates, Akpabio has been accused not because he has failed his people but because he has dared to lead differently.

Indeed, his reforms, his capacity to command loyalty, and his influence in both national and regional politics have unsettled old networks of privilege. Yet his focus remains unwavering, on legislation that strengthens governance, on national stability, and on the quiet labour of statecraft. In a country often distracted by noise, Akpabio embodies the rare discipline of purpose.

In another era, across the deserts of the Sahara, Mansa Musa of Mali experienced a similar misunderstanding. When he embarked on his legendary pilgrimage to Mecca, he displayed the wealth of his empire with generosity that startled the medieval world.

To some, it was extravagance. To history, it became evidence of unmatched vision. His empire flourished through learning, commerce, and faith. His name still shines centuries later, unblemished by the gossip of his age. Likewise, those who misread Akpabio’s grand development strides mistake ambition for arrogance. They fail to see that behind the public works and the national projects lies the spirit of reconstruction, a man rebuilding systems, not just seeking applause.

Patrice Lumumba’s ordeal in the 20th century brought the tragedy of false accusation to its most brutal form. The first Prime Minister of an independent Congo was accused of sowing division and branded an extremist. As the world now knows, his crime was clarity, the insistence that Africa’s freedom must not be dictated by foreign powers. His enemies silenced his voice but could not extinguish his vision.

Today, Lumumba’s name inspires every generation that seeks to reclaim African dignity. The same pattern of vilification, born of fear and envy, trails every reformer. When Senator Akpabio’s detractors peddle falsehoods, they reveal more about their own insecurity than about his record. It is the familiar resistance of the old against the birth of the new.

South Africa’s long night under apartheid produced another target of defamation: Nelson Mandela. For decades, he was called a terrorist and enemy of the state. Yet, in his quiet cell, he found the strength to forgive those who condemned him. When he emerged, he transformed his nation without bitterness. His victory was not only political; it was also moral, a triumph of the human spirit over injustice. Mandela’s story teaches that the mightiest response to falsehood is patience.

Without claiming a direct similarity of their situations, Senator Akpabio’s restraint, his refusal to engage in personal recrimination, reflects Mandela’s lived philosophy; that true leaders answer falsehood with performance, not theatrics.

It is tempting to view each accusation against Akpabio in isolation as a passing political quarrel. Yet to do so would be to miss the deeper rhythm of history. Great leaders are not defined by what is said about them in the heat of their time, but by what is remembered of them when the noise has faded.

The allegations that swirl around Akpabio today are not evidence of guilt but signs of significance. Insignificant men are not worth defaming. As the musician 2Baba once sang, “If nobody talks about you, then you are nobody.” The very ferocity of the attacks against Senator Akpabio is proof of his stature and the disruptive power of his vision.

Reflecting on this lineage of misunderstood greatness, one sees that accusation is often the final refuge of the threatened. Akpabio’s career, from transforming Akwa Ibom State into a model of modern governance to repositioning the Senate as a stabilising institution, represents a continuity of purpose that even his critics cannot deny.

Akpabio has brought maturity to national politics, forged collaboration across divides, and demonstrated that leadership can be firm without being fractious. His calm under pressure and his devotion to national unity have become the quiet pillars of Nigeria’s democratic consolidation.

Clearly, these attacks are not the measure of the man but the echo of his impact. The history of leadership is littered with names once maligned and later sanctified. Socrates’ trial became the cornerstone of philosophy. Mansa Musa’s misunderstood generosity defined a golden age. Lumumba’s persecution gave Africa a martyr. Mandela’s imprisonment forged a moral compass for humanity. Senator Godswill Akpabio stands among them, a contemporary figure walking through the same furnace of falsehood towards the same horizon of vindication.

To see Akpabio merely as a politician under attack is to miss the larger story unfolding. His journey is a lesson in patience, endurance, and the power of moral steadiness in the face of hysteria. As Nigeria searches for stability and renewal, Akpabio’s conduct offers something rarer than rhetoric: a model of composed leadership that refuses to be baited into bitterness, let alone the flitting satisfaction of viral outrage. He is writing, through action rather than argument, a chapter that future historians will read with admiration.

The crucible of false accusation, then, is his initiation into greatness. Every great leader must pass through the fog of misunderstandings before emerging into the sunlight of vindication. For Senator Akpabio, that sunlight is inevitable. When the passions of the present have cooled, and the record of reform stands tall against the smallness of slander, Nigeria will see him for what he truly is, a nation builder tested by fire, a visionary misunderstood in his own time but destined for vindication in the fullness of history.

Posterity, which has already cleared the names of Socrates, Mansa Musa, Lumumba, and Mandela, will do the same for the Uncommon Transformer. For in the grand tribunal of time, truth always wins its appeal.

● Sufuyan Ojeifo is the publisher and editor-in-chief of THE CONCLAVE online newspaper.

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Fubara: I surrender I’m not a coward, but… Why Rivers gov quit!

Published

3 hours ago

May 21, 2026

Whirlwindnews

Battle-weary Siminalayi Fubara, has finally thrown in the towel in the three-plus-years political war with Nyesom Wike, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), linking his decision on the need for peace in the state rather than fear.

Harangued, harassed, lacerated and buffeted, since few days after inauguration as governor, including a six-month state of emergency slammed on the state by President Bola Tinubu, things eventually came to a head for Fubara, with a plot to bar him from contesting re-election in 2027, by another coordinated onslaught from his party – the All Progressives Congress (APC).

In a series of developments, which started emerging from the process towards choosing candidates for the polls, all APC members with a link to the governor, were disqualified from seeking their individual tickets by the APC screening committees set up for that purpose, while the hammer of rejection also continued to dangle on Fubara himself before his final decision to quit the race.

In a statement he signed on Wednesday night, he said: “As our elders say, not everything a hunter sees in the forest is spoken of in the marketplace. Some truths are best borne quietly, not out of fear, but out of wisdom and restraint for the sake of peace and a greater purpose.”

The full statement read: “After deep reflection and extensive consultations with my family, friends, and associates, I have taken the difficult but necessary decision to withdraw from the APC gubernatorial primaries. I do so with a full heart and with a firm commitment to support whoever emerges as the candidate of our great party.

“Leadership is ultimately about sacrifice. There comes a time when personal ambition must yield to the greater good of the people. Rivers State is bigger than any individual, and at this critical moment, the peace, stability, and unity of our dear state must take precedence over every personal interest.

“To my supporters who stood firmly with me throughout this journey who gave their time, resources, prayers, and unwavering hope, I offer my deepest gratitude. I understand the disappointment, the anger, and the pain many of you may feel. Much has indeed been invested and much sacrificed along the way. But please know that your loyalty and trust were never in vain. My silence over this period was deliberate and strategic, guided always by the higher interest of our state and our people.

“As our elders say, not everything a hunter sees in the forest is spoken of in the marketplace. Some truths are best borne quietly, not out of fear, but out of wisdom and restraint for the sake of peace and a greater purpose. It is enough to say that I have faced immense pressures and difficult choices, but my love for Rivers State remains greater than anything else.

“I sincerely thank our great party, the All Progressives Congress, for the platform and support extended to me throughout this process. I also express my profound appreciation to His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, for his support and encouragement.

“The APC remains our collective home, and I urge all party faithful and supporters to remain steadfast and committed as we continue to build a stronger and more united future together.

“Let it be clearly understood that I stepped aside from participating in the upcoming River’s state Gubernatorial election not out of weakness, fear, or surrender, but out of conviction and sacrifice so that Rivers State may move forward in peace and unity and I remain committed to serving the good people of Rivers state till the end of my term.”

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Obi on Jonathan: I’m minding my business *I’ll wipe away tears of Nigerians

Published

1 day ago

May 20, 2026

Whirlwindnews

Peter Obi, candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 presidential election, virtually poured cold water on the burning issue of Goodluck Jonathan, for Nigerian President making a bid for the office he lost in 2915 to the late President Muhammadu Buhari, through the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Obi, who is also making another bid for the same office for the second time, told reporters on Tuesday, shortly getting a letter of clearance from the Nigerian Democratic Congress though he was not aware that the former President was contesting, he was in no position to obstruct the move as political choices were the rights of individuals to make.

Against the revelation by Babangida Aliyu, former Governor of Niger State, who spoke on behalf of Nemadi Sambo, Jonathan’s Vice President and currently in charge of the presidential screening of the Peoples Democratic Party, Obi told the reporters at the NDC National Secretariat in Abuja: “Actually, I’m not aware of that. But democracy is about people offering themselves for service and being voted for.

“I’m not in any way going around looking for who and who is contesting. I’m concentrating on how to build a better Nigeria.”

But he was quick to marshal out his plans for the country, declaring that under his presidency, Nigerians would be freed from daily lamentations coming from the parlous situation the present government of the All Progressives Congress (APC) led by President Bola Tinubu had plunged the country.

Hear him: “This I will do by first uniting the country because it’s not a united country. We have to govern the country by the Constitution of Nigeria, which stipulates federal character and inclusivity. The country must be united. The country must be secure.

“We want to see mothers no longer fear when their children go to school or work. We also want a country where we can travel all over Nigeria without fear. So many Nigerians today go to bed not knowing where the next meal will come from tomorrow. That must change.

“We must live in a country where people do not turn public assets and public wealth into private assets. So we must fight corruption to a standstill and make it work for everybody. Politicians are preoccupied with the next election when Nigerians are dying. That must stop.”

He also took time to explain the reason for the two-hour stretch of drilling during the screening. Saying: “This is democracy in action because NDC chooses to do things properly. So when we say this is going to be screening, it has to be done right.

“Nigerians want to know whether you meet the stipulated constitutional qualification and provide relevant documents to back them.

“This is the way to know whether everything you have said or declared is the truth and if you can answer questions posed about your commitment to building a united, secure and prosperous Nigeria. That’s why the screening took over two hours.”

Regarding his status as a sole candidate, Obi, who was accompanied by Victor Umeh, a long time ally and Senator representing Anambra Central at the National Assembly, said: “I don’t know who else has bought. So until the party says I’m the only one who expressed interest, that’s it.”

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Presidency: Obi met all requirements – NDC *Cleared to contest primaries

Published

1 day ago

May 20, 2026

Whirlwindnews

Only an official pronouncement by the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), seems to be last barrier to cross for Peter Obi to appear on the ballot for the January 7, 2027 presidential, the second time he would be chasing the nation’s number one job.

That hurdle is also set to be cleared in no time, all things being equal, given the speed with which the party is taking to ensure that all the loose ends are tied in order to meet the deadline of the Independent National Electoral Commission for all parties to conclude their selection processes for all the candidates for next years general elections.

Against the backdrop of initial date of May 29 scheduled for the presidential primaries, Sam Egwu, Chairman of the screening committee for the presidential election, said on Tuesday night that the exercise would take place on a date to be announced.

He spoke on a day he handed Obi, the only candidate that bought form for the high office a clean bill of health to contest the election after a two-hour drill at the party secretariat in Abuja, on Tuesday night.

Egwu former Governor of Ebonyi State announced Obi’s clearance as the party’s sole presidential aspirant ahead of its forthcoming primaries, about two hours after the arrival of the former Governor of Anambra State, who would be running for the presidential office for a second time after the bid in 2023, where he was declared to have come third by the INEC, in a heavily-disputed outcome, in which his supporters claimed he clearly won.

Obi had arrived at the party secretariat at about 6:45pm on Tuesday, accompanied by Victor Umeh, senator representing Anambra central and immediately went into business, where he was drilled on his qualifications and intentions and other nuances of governance.

Egwu, who announced that the panel was satisfied with his performance, as he answered all questions correctly, told reporters who besieged the venue: “This is to certify that following the screening of the presidential aspirant of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), His Excellency Peter Obi, and being satisfied that he has complied with all the requirements of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and all provisions of the Electoral Act, and the satisfactory answers given by him to all the questions from members of the national screening committee.

“He is hereby cleared to contest in the presidential primaries of the party for the 2027 presidential election on a date to be announced by the party. Congratulations.”

He then presented an official clearance letter to Obi with the party’s official nomination form numbered 001.

Obi picked NDC presidential nomination and expression of interest forms on Sunday, May 17, the initial deadline set by the party for the collection of forms by all categories of aspirants.

On Monday, the party extended the deadline to May 24 to enable more aspirants pick forms, noting that the return of completed nomination forms for all screened and cleared aspirants would commence on Wednesday, May 20 and close on May 26.

However, the party did not extend the deadline for the collection of presidential nomination forms, noting that it had already closed.

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