Akpabio to govs: Don’t give power to politician who is not prepared for governance

Senate President Godswill Akpabio has urged second-term governors in the country to be circumspect in selecting their successors ahead of the 2027 general election.

Akpabio advised second-term governors, especially those in the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), against selecting a politician who is not prepared for governance as their successors.

The Senate President said the governors should prioritise visionary leadership over patronising loyalty.

The former governor of Akwa Ibom State said this at the commissioning of the first 30 kilometres of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway in the Lekki area of Lagos State on Saturday, May 31, 2025.

Akpabio stated: “I must advise our governors, particularly those of them who are in their second term. Do not give power to anybody who is not looking for power.

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“Don’t give power to anybody who is not prepared. Don’t go hiding in your heart that this boy is very subservient; he is always kneeling when he is talking to me, his wife is always rolling on the floor, I think I should make this one the governor.

“If you do that, you are giving power to somebody who is not prepared for governance and they will disappoint you. This is where betrayals normally start. I am just trying to give some advice.

“For the progressive governors, I believe that all of you are doing well because you are being led by a man (President Bola Tinubu) who has both sight and vision.”

The event was attended by Tinubu, Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka, and Ministers Wale Edun (Finance) and David Umahi (Works).

Others in attendance included second-term governors Babajide Sanwo-Olu (Lagos), Hope Uzodimma (Imo), and Dapo Abiodun (Ogun).

The Star