2027: Akpabio predicts highest South-South votes for Tinubu from Akwa Ibom

By Henry Umoru ABUJA — President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio, has expressed confidence that Akwa Ibom State will deliver the highest number of votes for President Bola Tinubu in the South-South region in the 2027 presidential election. Akpabio made the declaration on Sunday during a special church service at the International Christian Worship Centre, Uyo, organised to dedicate the All Progressives Congress (APC) 2027 election campaigns to God.

The service had the theme, “We Are Well Able”. In a statement by his Special Assistant on Media, Jackson Udom, the Senate President said Akwa Ibom indigenes, particularly APC members, must close ranks and present a united front to ensure the party’s success at the polls. He said the state had a responsibility to reciprocate the support President Tinubu had given him by mobilising votes for the President.

According to him, the support of Tinubu contributed to his emergence as Senate President, making him the number three citizen in the country. “Whether you like him or not, he is there today. The only way to thank Mr President for that support is to give him all our votes. “From what I have seen here today, Akwa Ibom State will give Mr President the highest number of votes in the South-South region,” he said.

In an address titled, “One Family, One Destiny, One Akwa Ibom Under God”, Akpabio said while the people acknowledged God’s sovereignty over their individual and collective destinies, they must also uphold righteousness, justice and mercy. He described Akwa Ibom as a Nigerian success story, attributing its progress to purposeful leadership, peace and development.

The Senate President said development should not be measured only by roads and buildings but also by the bridges built between people and the hope restored in their lives. He urged political leaders and party members to sustain the state’s progress and ensure that its future achievements surpassed those already recorded. On party unity, Akpabio cautioned against divisions between old and new members of the APC, insisting that all members should be treated equally.

“In the APC family, there should be no aborigines and no newcomers; no landlords and no tenants; no first-class members and no second-class members. There should be only one big family, united by a common purpose and a shared responsibility,” he said. Using a biblical reference from John 14:2, he said there was room for everyone in the party, regardless of when they joined or their political standing.

He added that political ambitions should not override the welfare of the people, urging party members to conduct their campaigns in ways that respect human dignity. Akpabio further said the development of Akwa Ibom was inseparable from the progress of Nigeria, stressing that the state could not remain indifferent to insecurity and hardship in other parts of the country.

“Nigeria is not merely the nation to which Akwa Ibom belongs; it is the larger destiny to which Akwa Ibom contributes,” he said. Earlier, Governor Umo Eno thanked the people for their support during the last election and appealed for increased support for Tinubu, Akpabio, himself and other APC candidates in the 2027 elections. Eno also pledged to continue serving the people with the fear of God if given another mandate.