Presidency: “My Regrets Over Tinubu” –  Akpabio

By Gideon Njoku

Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, stopped short of publicly apologising to President Bola Tinubu, for daring to contest the Presidential seat with him.

Akpabio, Minister for Niger Delta under President Muhammadu Buhari, resigned from his Ministerial position to contest for the office of the President.

He was one of those who paid the whopping sum of N100million to purchase the form to participate in the Presidential Primaries.

Not a few people were surprised that Akpabio quit as a Minister because they knew he was going nowhere. They knew he had no delegates, and they knew he did not possess the clout to defeat then aspirant Tinubu, or even former Minister for Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi. They knew that, like a number of them then, he was going to be an also-ran.

It was no surprise, therefore, that he chickened out at the venue of the Primaries, and stood down for Tinubu. Others who stood down for Tinubu included the immediate past Governor of Ekiti State, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, former Governor of Ogun State, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, etc.

But Akpabio got lucky. Inexplicably, he got the chance to take the Senatorial ticket for his District from the man who contested for it at the Primaries and won it, while Akpabio was contesting for the Presidential seat –  retired Inspector General of Police, DIG Udom Ekpundom.

Akpabio went on to win at the Senatorial Election, and suddenly, his star shone brighter than even he thought it could shine.

Both President Tinubu and his Party, the All Progressives Congress, APC, settled for him to occupy the third most important office in the Country – the President of the Senate, Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Over the weekend in Lagos, perhaps, still obviously overwhelmed by what destiny thrust in his hands, he said he regretted that he contested for the office of the President with Tinubu. He put it down to ignorance. He said he didn’t know that Tinubu had done so much in Lagos, as Governor, otherwise, he would not have contested against him. He, also, said he didn’t know at the time that Tinubu had good plans for Nigeria, otherwise, he wouldn’t have dared contest with him. He said what Tinubu has done within one month of his Presidency compels him, Akpabio, to regret ever contesting against him.

Akpabio: “With what the President has done in Lagos, we are assured that Nigeria is in safe hands.

“We didn’t know this was the plan you had for the country;  we wouldn’t have contested with you at the Party Primaries.

“These few decisions you have taken have served as a catalyst for the Country’s development.”

Akpabio was a two-term Governor of Akwa Ibom under the Peoples Democratic Party. He also won an election to the Senate under the PDP and was the Minority Leader of the Senate. It was on that position, that he inexplicably dumped the Party for the APC.

Under APC in 2019, he failed in his re-election bid to the Senate, but was rewarded with a Ministerial post.

In 2023, he quit from the office to contest in the Primaries against Tinubu. He failed, but made a miraculous return to the Senate, and is now the President of the Senate and Chairman of the National Assembly.