Senate President Godswill Akpabio has taken an apparent swipe at Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma over his senatorial ambition, urging governors to complete their eight-year tenure rather than seek other political offices before the end of their terms.
Akpabio made the remarks on Wednesday, October 14, 2026, at the inauguration of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council at the State House, Abuja, where he also appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to support his return as Senate President in the 11th National Assembly.
Addressing Tinubu, Akpabio invoked a remark attributed to Anambra State Governor Chukwuma Soludo to argue against changing the current Senate leadership arrangement.
“Mr President, you already know that we (the National Assembly) are with you. Please, take the advice of Governor Soludo seriously. He (Soludo) said if the cloth is not torn, why try to amend it? If you try to amend it, you are going to tear the cloth,” Akpabio said.
He subsequently urged the President to encourage members of the National Assembly to return to their respective positions and support his second-term bid.
“If the National Assembly is so much with you, why not encourage them to come back and support you in your second term?” he asked.
Turning to governors seeking other political offices, the Senate President stressed that they should not abandon the people who elected them before completing their tenure.
“And for my brothers who are governors, I want you to know: you must not abandon your people. I did eight years as a governor. The constitution says you should do eight years. There is no need for you to start eyeing another position that is not available,” said Akpabio, who served as governor of Akwa Ibom State for eight years.
“I have been in this business for over 25 years, and I always win,” he added.
Although Akpabio did not mention Uzodimma by name, his remarks came amid the Imo governor’s bid for the Imo West senatorial seat in the 2027 general election.
Uzodimma, who is serving his second term as governor, is expected to leave office in January 2028, while the 11th Senate is scheduled to be inaugurated in June 2027. His senatorial ambition has therefore raised questions about the possibility of leaving the governorship before the end of his tenure if elected.
In his remarks at the event, Uzodimma, who serves as secretary of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, argued that Tinubu’s re-election bid was closely linked to the electoral fortunes of other party candidates, including himself.
“Mr President, you will be on the ballot on 16 January 2027. But if we are honest with ourselves, so will we,” he said.
“I will be on the ballot as a senatorial candidate. So, all of us. The challenge of re-electing Mr President is the challenge of re-electing every member of APC.”
The Imo governor urged APC members to set aside internal disagreements and unite behind the party and its candidates ahead of the elections.
“We must jettison every misgiving we have against each other. We must reconcile our differences. We must rally as one family behind the party and all the candidates,” he said.
Uzodimma also expressed confidence in the party’s electoral prospects, attributing its advantage to what he described as Nigerians’ acceptance of the APC and Tinubu’s record in office.
“Mr President has made our task easier by giving us a record we can defend with pride,” he said.
