Senate President Godswill Akpabio has paid glowing tribute to former President Muhammadu Buhari, describing him as a spartan leader who never embezzled public funds.

‎Mr Akpabio stated this at an expanded Federal Executive Council session held in honour of Mr Buhari at the State House, Abuja, on Thursday.

‎He said Mr Buhari’s enduring legacy lay in integrity, not extravagance, and in devotion to nation-building rather than personal gain.

‎Mr Akpabio, who served as a minister under Mr Buhari, noted that even Buhari’s fiercest critics respected his forthrightness.

‎”President Buhari believed that discipline mattered. That integrity mattered. That leadership, even when lonely, must be anchored in something greater than power,” the former Akwa Ibom governor asserted. “He did not seek to ride waves of popular acclaim. He walked with steadiness and often in solitude, along the ridge of national conscience.”

‎The politician added, ”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.”

‎”His toughness was born not of pride, but of patriotism, a fierce, unrelenting belief that Nigeria, with all its challenges, was still worth fighting for.”

‎Mr Akpabio hailed Mr Buhari’s lifelong commitment to Nigeria, both as a soldier and a civilian leader.

‎”Whether in khaki or agbada, he remained firm in his belief that Nigeria was worth fighting for,” Mr Akpabio said.

(NAN)