‘Serious Leaders Discuss Issues’ — Ikpeazu Replies Smart Adeyemi’s ‘Champagne’ Jibe

Okezie Ikpeazu, governor of Abia state, says leaders discuss issues and not what people do.

He spoke on Monday at the launch of ‘Made in Aba’, a book written by Enyinnaya Abaribe, senate minority leader.

Ikpeazu said leaders should provide mentorship to the young ones in what they say or do.

The governor said this in reaction to comments credited to Smart Adeyemi, senator representing Kogi west.

The senator had called the governor a “champagne drinking man” while contributing to a debate on the floor of the senate last week.

“The governor of Abia is a champagne drinking man. Abia people are impoverished more than ever before. Abia people are unfortunate,” Adeyemi had said.

But Ikpeazu said he does not drink and does not begrudge those who do.

“I don’t drink [alcohol] and I don’t begrudge those who drink. In other countries where there are less problems than ours, people discuss big issues of economic growth, big issues of infrastructural development,” he said.

“They don’t talk about what people do and what people do not do. For us leaders, we ought to be mentors to the young ones. What you say and how you carry yourself, things you say and the time you say them speak a lot about how serious you are as a leader.

“That should be the size of my response.

“I will end by quoting what Chinua Achebe said in his book: ‘if a mad man picks your cloth while you are in the bathroom and takes off, and you go after him naked, nobody will know who is mad’.”