Senate President Akpabio says opposition parties remain disorganised, while APC enjoys unity and public support ahead of 2027.
The President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio, Saturday mocked the opposition parties, saying that they would remain in confusion till after the victory of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2027 general election.
Speaking at Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital during a reception organised for the First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, Akpabio declared the APC had already started campaigns against “confused” opposition parties.
The First Lady was in Uyo where she unveiled the Senior Citizens’ Centre named after her, and also in honour of Pastor Patience Eno, the late wife of the Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Pastor Umo Eno.
The occasion, which was also used to mark this year’s World Women’s Day, turned out to be a mega rally, with the wives of the Governors of Lagos, Imo, Cross River, Delta, Ekiti, Jigawa, Kano, Nasarawa, Niger, Ogun and Ondo states, among others, in attendance.
Addressing the mammoth crowd at the International Stadium, Akpabio said: “Each time we make a law and the opposition frowns, I get excited that I’ve made the right law.
“While we are moving around Nigeria, consulting and campaigning, many of them are still trying to form their political party.
“They haven’t even finished registration and they will continue in confusion till the 2027 election is over. Instead of putting their houses in order, they are breaking up.
“You see a man who formed the Labour Party; they had millions of votes; today, they can’t have 100 votes, because the Labour Party is distressed.
“They have different leaderships – some in the North; some in the South; some in the West, some in the East.
“See then PDP that used to be one now struggling to have five different offices in Abuja, with about four secretaries. Who would sign their forms?
“Yesterday, I saw one man shouting on TV because of the amended Electoral Act, saying ‘we’re likely to boycott the elections.’
“My response was to tell the truth; ‘you’re boycotting the elections because you’re not ready. If you were ready you wouldn’t boycott.”
Akpabio added: “If there is anything the First Lady will take away from this visit, it’s that there is unity in this state.
“It’s the love Akwa Ibom has for her husband, the love women of Akwa Ibom have for her. I joined the governor (Eno) to further endorse the President for a second term in office.
“The bill we’re considering to give space to more women in the National Assembly is still on. I pray the 10th Assembly succeeds with the bill in bringing more women to the parliament,” Akpabio added.
Akpabio told the president’s wife that the huge reception she received was an indication of Akwa Ibom people’s endorsement of her husband for a second term in office.
He reflected, “On a day Akwa Ibom women waited from 8a.m. to see her, the thousands of women still waiting shows the love we have for the President of Nigeria; it shows the love we have for the wife of the President.
“This shows we’re all ready to vote for the president to come for a second term. Today, the women of Akwa Ibom who do not lie have decided today, the World Women’s Day, to endorse President Tinubu for a second term.”
Describing Eno as ‘Mr Unifier’, he said Akwa Ibom had never witnessed the unity the state enjoyed under the incumbent governor, adding that the state had endorsed him for a second term even before he defected from the PDP to the APC.
“I thank President Tinubu in advance, for building a party, APC and being able to hold on to it with tenacity to become a formidable force that now has 31 governors and is still moving forward. If politics is a game of numbers, can you beat such a man?” he queried.
Acknowledging the people’s honour, Mrs. Tinubu told the people of the state: “This love is unforgettable. It’s indeed a mega rally.
“Thank you for the endorsement of Mr. President, the Senate President and the governor for the second term. On behalf of the president, we won’t take it for granted.”