Senate President Godswill Akpabio has felicitated former governor of Osun State and pioneer acting national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Bisi Akande on his 85th birthday describing him as a “conscientious and progressive statesman”.
Senator Akpabio, who stated this in a congratulatory message signed by his special adviser on media and publicity Eseme Eyiboh said Mr Akande is an accomplished democrat and dependable politician.
“On behalf of my family, constituents and the National Assembly, I wish to heartily join family members, friends, business and political associates to congratulate and celebrate a conscientious and progressive statesman, an accomplished democrat and dependable leader, His Excellency Chief Bisi Akande as he attains the ripe age of 85.
“Sir, I am happy to identify with you and I can attest to your indelible contributions to the socio-political development of the country. As a statesman, you have always stood on the path of truth and justice, speaking truth to power.
“As a politician, you played a pioneering role in laying the foundation for the birth of our great party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), and indeed set standards in party politics and political engineering,” Akpabio said.
The former Akwa Ibom State governor, who extolled what he described as the leadership qualities of Akande, said the octogenarian is noted for leaving his footprints anywhere he found himself.
“His records of hard work and commitment to excellence speak for him. Chief Akande, as governor of Osun State, displayed statecraft, which etched the state on solid footing of infrastructural development.
“Being a democrat of progressive bent, you were active in the struggle against military rule and your resilience and courage can never go unnoticed. You fought alongside other progressives such as President Bola Tinubu to restore the democracy we are enjoying today.
“I wish you more years, good health and strength to continue to serve as a reservoir of knowledge, experience and wisdom for those of us in the saddle of leadership and the younger generation,” the statement concluded.
