Senate President Godswill Akpabio stunned the Senate when he declared that he had never been a member of the Peoples Democratic Party, despite spending eight years as governor of Akwa Ibom State on the party’s platform, serving as chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum and later emerging as Senate Minority Leader.
Akpabio made the remark yesterday during consideration of a motion seeking to honour former Kogi State Governor, Ibrahim Idris, who died on September 20, 2026, at the age of 77.
The motion was sponsored by Senator Jibrin Isah, representing Kogi East, who urged the Senate to pay tribute to the late former governor.
While presenting the motion, Isah recalled his political association with Idris and Akpabio during their years in the PDP and made reference to the period when the three politicians were linked to the party.
Idris served as governor of Kogi State from May 29, 2003, to January 2012, during which he governed under the PDP banner.
Akpabio, however, interrupted the presentation and disputed the claim that he had ever been a member of the party.
“I was never in PDP, my spirit might be there but my heart was never there. I have always been a progressive,” the Senate President said.
The statement stands in contrast to Akpabio’s extensive political career within the PDP before his eventual defection to the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2018.
During his period in the PDP, Akpabio was also known for his criticism of the then opposition APC and its broom symbol. He was reported to have said that “only house boys carry brooms,” a remark that later took on added significance after he joined the APC and adopted the same symbol.
Akpabio’s rise in Akwa Ibom politics followed his appointment as a commissioner under former Governor Victor Attah.
Between 2002 and 2006, he occupied several positions in the state government, serving at different times as Commissioner for Petroleum and Natural Resources, Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, and Lands and Housing.
He later contested the PDP governorship primary, secured the party’s ticket and went on to win the 2007 governorship election in Akwa Ibom State.
Akpabio successfully sought a second term in 2011, completing eight years in office as governor under the PDP. His administration pursued a wide-ranging infrastructure programme promoted under the slogan “uncommon transformation,” which contributed to his being popularly referred to as the “Uncommon Governor.”
His influence within the PDP expanded beyond Akwa Ibom as he became chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum in 2013, placing him among the prominent figures within the party at the national level.
After completing his second term as governor in 2015, Akpabio moved into the National Assembly, retaining his affiliation with the PDP. He contested the Akwa Ibom North-West senatorial seat and won, after which opposition senators selected him as Senate Minority Leader.
He remained in that position until August 2018, when he resigned as part of his eventual move to the APC.
Akpabio’s years in the PDP were marked by frequent political confrontations with the APC, which controlled the federal government at the time but remained an opposition party in Akwa Ibom.
One of the remarks attributed to him during that period was his description of broom carriers as “only house boys carry brooms.”
The comment became particularly notable after Akpabio crossed over to the APC.
On August 8, 2018, he formally joined the APC at a political rally in Ikot Ekpene, Akwa Ibom State, after stepping down as Senate Minority Leader.
At the event, he embraced the broom symbol associated with his new party and said, “I accept this broom to sweep away poverty from your life,” Akpabio declared.
His defection brought to an end a lengthy period in which he had been one of the most prominent PDP politicians in the South-South region.
Akpabio subsequently contested the 2019 senatorial election but was unsuccessful in his bid to retain his seat.
Later in 2019, former President Muhammadu Buhari appointed him Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, a position he held until 2022.
He resigned from the Federal Executive Council that year to pursue the APC presidential nomination ahead of the 2023 general election.
At the APC presidential convention, Akpabio withdrew from the contest and endorsed Bola Tinubu, who eventually secured the party’s presidential ticket and won the 2023 presidential election.
Akpabio later returned to the Senate after winning the Akwa Ibom North-West senatorial election on the APC platform.
On June 13, 2023, senators elected him President of the 10th Senate, marking another major stage in his political career—from serving as a PDP governor and Senate Minority Leader to becoming one of the country’s highest-ranking political office holders under an APC-led federal government.
