Most times, Senate President, Godswill Akpabio doesn’t talk like a statesman. He often talks in manners that demean the high office he’s occupying. Some of his unguarded utterances include the infamous “prayer request” to players of the Red Chamber of the bicameral National Assembly (NASS) as if they are there as prayer warriors.
Again, Akpabio lost it during the economic hardship protest when he said the aggrieved political sovereigns will be on the streets protesting while the rest of them, the parasitic elite will be inside, “eating”.
There is no gainsaying the fact that Akpabio has been messing up because of his seeming blind pursuit of the Tinubu 2027 project. But, is the political interest Akpabio serving enough justification to plot his overthrow as Senate president?
Leader of INRI Evangelical Spiritual Church, Primate Elijah Ayodele, a seemingly credible prophet, on Sunday, March 9, 2025 warned Akpabio of difficult days ahead. Ayodele claimed that the bond between Akpabio and President Bola Tinubu will be broken and some senators will strongly oppose him.
In a statement signed by his Media Aide, Oluwatosin Osho, the primate said despite Akpabio’s efforts to gain more support for Tinubu and APC, his political foes will ensure they frustrate and threaten his position, warning also that the Senate president will be disappointed.
According to him, “they will break the bond between Akpabio and Tinubu. They will come against him heavily because some senators will not agree with him.
“Despite his efforts, he will win many senators for the APC, but he will not be appreciated. Those who are singing his praises now will turn against him very soon. Akpabio will even try to win his state for Tinubu. He will perform well for Tinubu in 2027, but his enemies are ready to frustrate his efforts and threaten his position. He will try everything to ensure he secures the South-South for APC, but some of his confidants will disappoint him.”
While Ayodele equally stated that there will come a time when Akpabio will overstep his boundaries and offend the Nigerian presidency, he warned that the ex-Akwa Ibom governor will face the harsh realities of politics if he secures a second term as Senate president.
“Akpabio has his own political style, but it will reach a point where he will overstep his boundaries and offend the presidency. Though he knows his ways, something big is about to happen to him, and he will be greatly frustrated.
“If Akpabio secures a second term as Senate President, that is when he will see the other side of politics. He needs to watch himself, his political plans, and the people he is relying on because they will shock him. He has a project for Tinubu’s re-election and is one of those who will go all out for Tinubu, but some people close to Tinubu will turn against him”, he said.
Continuing, Ayodele stated that Akpabio will be embroiled in a corruption scandal and dragged into shame by those he considers friends, and accordingly advised him to be mindful of his health. “He will be implicated in a corruption scandal and accused of many things. People who will drag him into shame are his closest friends. They will soon show him the other side of politics. Take care of yourself, rest well, I don’t hate you, but I am only acting as God directs”, the cleric said.
Ayodele pointed out that most of Akpabio’s troubles will stem from his own actions, as he will single-handedly open the door for those who will betray him.
According to him, they are planning a coup against him. Not everyone who smiles with you truly cares about you. They are waiting for the day when there is political disagreement with his closest associates, adding, “he will be greatly betrayed. I am seeing leaks in Akpabio’s confidential matters. He is a good man, but careless. He will open the door for enemies who will capture him. His best friend will soon become his worst enemy.”
Weighty as the revelations appear, Akpabio is no stranger to the politics of backstabbing in Nigeria. He is not new to the nasty politics of betrayal. He effortlessly dumped the PDP that made him commissioner, governor, and Senate Minority Leader. If he fails to weather the brewing storm in the Senate, it must be his ‘village’ people are after him. His constituents are not happy that they have been in darkness for two years plus.
Apparently undisputed, Akpabio gleefully disclosed why he defected from PDP to APC, claiming he defected to APC to ensure that the ruling party claims all the states in the South-South ahead of the 2027 election. He said so while receiving Governor Monday Okpebholo of Edo State at his residence in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom capital.
Akpabio’s Special Assistant on Media and Communication, Anietie Ekong, in a statement later said winning the states will change the developmental trajectory of the South-South for good, pointing out that, “under the APC administration, many of us decided there was need for us to change the political basket to enable us to represent our people at the national level and also have a say in what was going on in the country.
“So, when I made that strong movement to the APC, it was to move our people in the South-South region to the centre. With the current political permutations, going by all available indices, the ruling APC is poised to bring more states into its fold.”
Interestingly, while PDP is controlling the states of Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Delta, and Rivers, with Cross River and Edo under the thumb of APC, last December as he clocked 62, Eseme Eyiboh, Akpabio’s
Special Adviser on Media and Publicity and official spokesperson to the Senate president, declared that his principal foraged into politics from his humble beginning as commissioner in three key ministries in Akwa Ibom to his present position.
For Eyiboh, it is a narrative characterised by humility and tenacity. “Akpabio’s leadership qualities became manifest when he served for two terms, as a governor of Akwa Ibom between 2007 and 2015”, he said.
Going by Eyiboh’s testimony, during his tenure, Akpabio worked assiduously to transform the social and economic landscape of Akwa Ibom. Within this period, the state witnessed unprecedented improvement in infrastructure development, healthcare delivery, capacity building and education that earned him the name, “Uncommon Transformer”.
Some of his remarkable achievements as the governor included, free and compulsory education, free medical/healthcare to children, pregnant women and the elderly, construction of an international airport that has today placed Akwa Ibom on the global aviation map, building of roads and flyovers, payment of the 13th month salary to civil servants popularly called “Akpabiomber” and the provision of civil service buses which today are still conveying civil servants from their respective local government areas to the state capital.
Other legacy projects, he went on, are the Ibom Multi-Specialist hospital in Uyo, a befitting government house, a five star hotel in Ikot Ekpene and an International Stadium in the state capital, fittingly named after him as the Godswill Akpabio International stadium, adding, “today, the stadium which is the only FIFA-approved stadium in Nigeria for international matches, hosts grade A matches involving the Super Eagles of Nigeria.
“A few months ago, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) had directed Ghana to secure an alternative venue outside the country for the Matchday 3 and 4 ties involving the Black Stars of Ghana because the African Football Authority had declared all the stadia in Ghana not good enough to continue hosting CAF competitions. Consequently, Ghana was already looking at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium until the issue was sorted out.
Ghana had considered the Godswill Akpabio Stadium because of its topnotch facilities. Regardless of the aesthetics of the stadium and its facilities. Akwa Ibom is a modern statement in development architecture and luxurious flora and fauna to complement the uncommon transformation legacies.
According to a one-time British Prime Minister, Benjamin Disraeli, “the legacy of heroes is the memory of a great name and the inheritance of a great example.” Akpabio’s trajectory in engraving his name in gold and leaving legacies that sprawl the sands of time comes handy.
“The imposing structure of the stadium in Uyo serves as a testament to the visionary leadership and enduring legacy of the former governor. It is a testament that the Uncommon Transformer School of politics of transformation and good governance is never a ruse. It is indeed a study in the lexicon of democracy and its derivatives. The stadium, in particular, has become an iconic symbol of his legacy, showcasing the state’s capacity to foster regional cooperation and promote sports tourism.
“Akpabio has also left indelible marks in the sands of time as the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs. He completed many abandoned projects, despite the challenges of COVID- 19 pandemic and scarcity of funds. Some of the iconic projects he completed were the 20-year old abandoned 13 and 8- storey buildings at NDDC Headquarters.
“It is on records that Akpabio took proactive steps to address burning issues, including underdevelopment, corruption in the NDDC through forensic audit of the Commission, Ogoni clean-up, insecurity in the region, the East-West road, Foreign Direct Investment and engagement of Public-Private Participation to complete some projects through alternative sources of revenue”, Eyiboh said.
As Senate president, Akpabio is an executive member of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), deploying legislative and diplomatic enablement to help President Tinubu transform Nigeria through the vociferous Renewed Hope Agenda, that is yet to yield tangible dividend of democracy to the electorate.
So, will the aggrieved senators, and the perceived friends of the Senate president still throw him out of the seat because of compromising the Senate with Aso Rock or for something else? Time will tell.
