Akpabio Hails Buhari: “He Never Pilfered the Nations Purse”

Senate President Godswill Akpabio has paid glowing tribute to the late former President Muhammadu Buhari, describing him as a man of unwavering integrity who led Nigeria with discipline and never misused the nation’s resources.

Speaking at a special expanded Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting held in Abuja on Thursday in Buhari’s honour, Akpabio said even the late president’s harshest critics could not accuse him of corruption.

“And let us be honest, he was tough. He was a soldier who did not flinch under fire, a leader who did not flee from responsibility, and above all, a Nigerian whose loyalty to this nation was never up for sale,” Akpabio declared.

He continued: “His toughness was born not out of pride but of a patriotism, a fierce, unrelenting belief that Nigeria, with all its challenges, was still worth fighting for. And yet some disagree with him. That is the nature of democracy. But even his fiercest critics will admit that he did not pilfer the nation’s boss, nor pander to its pleasures to the very end.”

The solemn gathering was attended by top officials, including ministers, state governors, members of the National Assembly, and family members of the late president. Buhari’s children, led by his son Yusuf, were also present.

Akpabio further praised Buhari as a leader who embraced responsibility rather than chasing recognition. “President Buhari did not merely pass through the corridors of power; he left his boots and imprints in them. He believed that discipline mattered, that integrity mattered, that leadership, even when lonely, must be anchored on something greater than power,” he said.

Buhari, who served as Nigeria’s military ruler in the 1980s and returned as a democratically elected president from 2015 to 2023, died on Sunday in a London clinic at the age of 82.

His remains were flown back to Nigeria on Tuesday and received at the Katsina Airport by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

A state funeral followed at his hometown in Daura, where he was laid to rest. The ceremony was attended by high-ranking government officials, political allies, family members, and residents who gathered to pay their final respects to the late statesman.