UYO, Nigeria — Senate President Godswill Akpabio has suggested that Siminalayi Fubara, the suspended governor of Rivers State, and Douye Diri of Bayelsa State are next in line to join the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), as the party steps up efforts to consolidate power in Nigeria’s South-South region ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Akpabio made the remarks on Saturday, June 21, 2025, during a high-profile reception ceremony in Uyo to welcome Akwa Ibom State Governor Umo Eno into the APC fold.
The event, held at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium, was attended by Vice-President Kashim Shettima, APC National Chairman Abdullahi Ganduje, and several APC governors and senators.
Governor Eno, who officially defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the APC on Friday, June 6, 2025, was hailed by Akpabio as a symbol of what he described as a broader political realignment in the South-South.
“This is more than just a defection — it’s a movement,” Akpabio said.
“It is a reunification of Akwa Ibom with Nigeria.”
The Senate President, himself a former governor of Akwa Ibom, praised Eno and Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori for what he called “joining the progressives’ family,” suggesting that the momentum is shifting in favour of the APC across the oil-rich region.
“Governor Sheriff of Delta, thank you for joining the progressives’ family and moving the South-South in the progressives’ direction,” Akpabio said.
“Governor Umo Eno, after you, who knows? Rivers State will tumble. After Rivers, Bayelsa will join.”
He also declared that the APC had effectively secured victory in Edo State, claiming credit for the emergence of Senator Monday Okpebholo as the party’s flagbearer in the upcoming gubernatorial election.
The APC currently controls four of the six South-South states — Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Delta, and Edo — with only Rivers and Bayelsa under the PDP.
Akpabio projected that the region would present a united political front in 2027 in support of President Bola Tinubu.
“Come 2027, South-South will go one way; the South-South will vote for President Bola Tinubu,” he said.
“I see you becoming the first re-elected governor in 2027. I see the president getting 99.9 percent votes in 2027.”
