Senate President Godswill Akpabio has expressed strong confidence in President Bola Tinubu’s political future, declaring that his re-election bid in 2027 will be much smoother than the 2023 contest.
Akpabio made this statement on Thursday while leading the National Assembly leadership in passing a vote of confidence in President Tinubu at the All Progressives Congress (APC) national summit, held at the Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
“If this president has done well, is it not us (National Assembly) that will say so? If he has not done well, is it not us that will give him notice of impeachment?”
“We are not giving him notice of impeachment, we are giving him notice that it was difficult for you in 2023, but in 2027 I see everything turning around, the number of states that are coming to join you,” Akpabio declared.
He also recounted an encounter with a senator from the Labour Party, underscoring the shift in political alignment.
“As I was leaving, one senator was dragging my dress today. He said, ‘please take me there’, and I said you can’t come now. He is a Labour senator but I don’t want to mention his name,” Akpabio added.
The vote of confidence aligns with earlier support from the Progressives Governors’ Forum, which also endorsed Tinubu’s leadership during the summit.
The party leadership formally adopted this endorsement at the gathering, which was attended by President Tinubu, Vice President Kashim Shettima, House of Representatives Speaker Tajudeen Abbas, APC governors, and other prominent party figures.
Tinubu, who is nearing his second anniversary in office, secured victory in the 2023 presidential election amidst stiff competition from key rivals.
He won in 12 out of 36 states and amassed 8,794,726 votes, outpacing his nearest challenger, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar of the PDP, who garnered 6,984,520 votes.
Labour Party candidate and former Anambra Governor, Peter Obi, achieved a notable third-place finish with 6,101,533 votes, having mobilized an energetic base of mostly young voters.
