Akpabio declares self, Tinubu, Eno unopposed for 2027 elections

Senate President Godswill Akpabio has declared himself as an unopposed candidate for the 2027 senatorial election in Akwa Ibom State.

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He also declared President Bola Tinubu and Governor Umo Eno of Akwa Ibom State as unopposed candidates for the same general elections in the oil-rich state.

Mr Akpabio, who represents Akwa Ibom North-West Senatorial District of the state, stated this on Friday, in Ikot Ekpene at the second phase of his constituency briefing and empowerment programme.

The Senate president is a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and a strong ally of President Tinubu.

Endorsements

Governor Eno, a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), first endorsed Mr Akpabio and President Tinubu for the 2027 general election.

While he said he was endorsing Mr Akpabio to continue as Senate president, he said he would disclose his reason for endorsing Mr Tinubu in future.

The governor has on several occasions said he was running an “all-inclusive unitary government”, irrespective of political parties.

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Mr Akpabio has also reciprocated the gesture by endorsing the governor for a second term.

In a statement on Friday, Jackson Udom, a media aide to Mr Akpabio, said the Senate president commended Governor Eno for “uniting” the people of the state.

“Let me thank Governor Eno because he is a man of peace. He is a man of God both in attitude and actions. He has been able to bring us all together in Akwa Ibom, and that is why we are enjoying peace in the state, because he acts his words.

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“President Tinubu is very happy with Akwa Ibom State because of the peace in the state through collaborations of Governor Eno and the President of the Senate, which has brought development to the state,” Mr Udom said.

Mr Udom said the decision to endorse Messrs Tinubu, Akpabio, and Eno as sole candidates for their respective offices recorded a “voice endorsement from the crowd when Mr Akpabio put the decision to vote.”

Constituency briefing, empowerment

Mr Akpabio, a former governor of the Akwa Ibom, is serving a second non-consecutive term in the National Assembly.

He was first elected into the Senate in 2015, under the PDP platform, where he served as Minority Leader.

He defected to the ruling APC in 2018 but failed to secure a second term in 2019, losing to the PDP candidate, Christopher Ekpenyong, a former deputy governor of the state.

In 2023, Mr Akpabio resigned as Minister of Niger Delta Affairs and contested the Senate race, where he secured victory at the polls.

As Senate president, Mr Akpabio has facilitated political appointments for his supporters and grants and scholarships for his constituents.

At the constituency briefing, Mr Akpabio “gave out mini buses, cars, tricycles, fridges, and sewing machines. Cargo tricycles, cash grants of over N2 billion, and scholarships to the constituents and beneficiaries from the other two Senatorial Districts of Akwa Ibom State,” Mr Udom said.