Former Minister for Tourism, Arts and Culture, Catherine Afeku, has described politics as a game of strategy and survival, one that can be murky, but not without room for dignity and personal values.

Speaking on JoyNews’ Women, Power & Politics programme, Mad. Afeku did not shy away from acknowledging the darker sides of political life, but stressed that how one navigates it comes down to individual choices and boundaries.

“It depends on how murky you want it to be. If you set your standards, if you set the values and you create your own barriers, you have to give permission to people to make you feel bad but it's murky.”

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Mad Afeku, known for her bold persona and firm stance on leadership, referenced her favourite book, Niccolò Machiavelli’s The Prince, to illustrate how backstabbing and betrayal are not just political realities, but part of life in general.

“My favourite book, by the way, is Prince Nicolo Marchaviali, The Prince. You have to read The Prince. There is backstabbing, there is backbiting, there is denigrating, there and it is everywhere, even at church.”

Despite acknowledging the darker aspects of political life, Afeku maintained that resilience, self-awareness, and strategy are key to rising above the noise.

“You just have to know how to set your boundaries and you have to be one step ahead of the game, so it is murky but you can be a victim or you can choose to be a hero. It’s just how you handle it."