In the delicate choreography of politics and grief, timing is everything. And this time, Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State got it right.

Last week, the Governor quietly visited Florence Ajimobi to mourn with her over the loss of her daughter, Abisola Kola-Daisi. It was a gesture simple in action but profound in meaning. Shared on his official channels, his message was brief, respectful, and deeply felt: “May her soul rest in peace, and may God continue to comfort all those she left behind.”

But behind the solemnity of the moment lies a subtle arc of growth, a story of a leader learning to lead better.

In June 2020, the passing of former Governor Abiola Ajimobi was marked not just by sorrow, but by recrimination. Lady Florence, grief-stricken and vocal, accused the Makinde administration of indifference in her family’s darkest hour. The ensuing media skirmish between the government and the bereaved family cast a shadow over a moment that should have united, not divided.

The bitterness lingered. It painted Makinde, then still finding his political footing, as cold and politically calculating. The backlash was swift and, for many, unforgettable.

Yet, five years later, here stands a governor not weighed down by ego or old wounds. The Makinde who walked into the Ajimobi home this week is not the one who stood aloof in 2020. This is a man who has, with time and public scrutiny, acquired something rare in Nigerian politics: emotional intelligence.

In making peace with the Ajimobi family, not through words alone, but through presence, Makinde sends a message beyond condolences. It is a soft but deliberate rewriting of the past, a demonstration that power need not always posture; sometimes, it just needs to show up.