THERE ARE NO SAINTS IN POLITICS — ONLY RESULTS
It is with pride that I join all people of goodwill in celebrating the successful completion of tenure of Sir. Macdonald Kelechi Ebere, Ph.D, as the substantive State Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Imo State, a major political party and party in power. A feat no son or daughter of Owerri Municipal Council of Imo State had previously attained at such a level of influence.
Leadership is no ornament, it is a burden; a burden of the consequences of every action and decision. It demands sacrifice, attracts criticism (both rightly and wrongly), and tests resolve. Did he please everyone? Certainly not. Is he a saint? Definitely not, politics is not a sanctuary; it is a battlefield of human imperfections. There are no saints in politics, only men who must navigate its rough terrain of competing interests and expectations.
Yet, by every fair measure, he bore that burden well. He demonstrated competence, steadiness, and pragmatism of the Owerre man. He built bridges across divides and contributed meaningfully to party cohesion and electoral successes across the State. His tenure echoes the timeless truth: “Seest thou a man diligent in his works; he shall stand before kings and not mean men.”
As a people, we must learn to celebrate our own, not out of sentiment, but out of recognition that responsible stewardship deserves acknowledgement and commendation. Owerre Nchi-Ise is possessed of several men and women of competence, capacity, diligence and integrity like Mac. But all too often, we diminish what is ours, at our own detriment, forgetting that if we do not tell and highlight our story, no one else will. The name you ascribe to what belongs to you is the name it will be called by everyone. We also must not wait till we benefit personally before we commend and encourage any feat attained by our kinsmen.
I salute Sir. Macdonald Ebere for a tenure marked by purpose and resilience. And as the journey of life remains one of constant refinement, may his future paths yield even greater victories.
Sir. Mac, I gbaliala!
Obinna Mbata, Esq.
(Former Hon. Commissioner for Finance Imo State and ex-Chair, Forum of Finance Commissioners of Nigeria)
