Tensions boiled over within the All Progressives Congress (APC) at the grand inauguration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s 2027 Presidential Campaign Council at the State House Banquet Hall in Abuja, as Senate President Godswill Akpabio fired sharp verbal salvos at Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma.
The high-octane event brought together top political stakeholders and leaders across the party spectrum, including First Lady Senator Remi Tinubu, Vice-President Kashim Shettima, Chief of Staff to the President Femi Gbajabiamila, APC governors, ministers , appointees, and key opposition figures such as Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike, Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke, and Anambra State Governor Chukwuma Soludo of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA).The confrontation erupted during discussions surrounding the structure of the 2027 presidential campaign council, where Uzodimma serves as Secretary and Director-General of the Renewed Hope Ambassadors.
Political friction mounted over Uzodimma’s strategic moves to contest a senatorial seat in 2027 while still serving as governor, an ambition widely viewed inside party circles as a direct bid to challenge Akpabio for the Senate President’s chair in the 11th National Assembly.Taking the stage before the packed audience of governors, lawmakers, and cross-party figures, Akpabio launched a direct attack on sitting governors eyeing positions outside their current mandate.
He declared that chief executives should stop eyeing offices that are not vacant or available and instead remain focused on completing their constitutional mandates and serving the constituents who elected them.
Akpabio further urged President Tinubu and party leaders to back members of the current National Assembly leadership seeking re-election, stressing that legislative stability and continuity are critical to supporting the executive arm and delivering on the administration’s long-term developmental agenda.
The direct public exchange has reignited intense political heat and power plays within the ruling APC ahead of the 2027 general elections. As regional blocs scramble to secure influential offices, Akpabio’s stern rebuke highlights the deepening rivalry over legislative succession, regional alignment, and power dynamics among key power brokers striving for dominance within the ruling coalition.
Governor Hope Uzodimma’s second term as Governor of Imo State is officially scheduled to end on January 15, 2028.
This timeline creates a political dilemma because the next National Assembly (11th Senate) is set to be inaugurated around June 2027 following the 2027 general elections. If Uzodimma runs for and wins a senatorial seat in 2027, he would have to resign roughly 7 to 8 months before his governorship tenure officially expires in January 2028, as the Nigerian Constitution forbids holding both executive and legislative offices simultaneously.
