Akpabio Praises Wike’s Leadership, Recounts Emotional Moment That Inspired Support

Senate President, Godswill Akpabio has offered rare insight into his longstanding support for the current Minister of the Federal Capital Territory and former Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, during the grand finale of the Niger Delta Development Commission’s (NDDC) 25th anniversary held in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

Speaking at the event, Akpabio described Wike as a man of remarkable temperament and resilience, recalling how disagreements between them were often short-lived. “I don’t know how somebody will quarrel with a man like this,” Akpabio said. “If he shouts here, even while we are sitting there, by the time I get to that door, he has forgotten. He’ll be the one to call and ask, ‘So when are you coming to the house for lunch?’”

Akpabio went on to share a personal story that shaped his decision to back Wike’s gubernatorial bid in Rivers State. During a visit to Akwa Ibom, Wike was visibly moved by the state’s underground pipe drainage system a 10.8-kilometer engineering feat at Itam Junction, which had resolved decades of flooding. “He stood under the drainage system and tears welled up in his eyes,” Akpabio recounted. “He told me, ‘If I’m ever given the opportunity to be governor of Rivers State, I will turn Rivers State around.’”

The Senate President said Wike’s commitment to development was evident long before his tenure as governor, and that his performance later earned him the nickname “Mr. Project”a title Akpabio claimed was first acknowledged by leaders outside Wike’s own party.

“Even the then Vice President, after touring Rivers, turned to him and said, ‘Mr. Project.’ That name wasn’t self-given, and it wasn’t even his party that recognized it,” Akpabio noted. “I don’t think his party is capable of recognizing people who work hard. It is only the APC that has that capability.”

The event also featured reflections on the challenges facing the NDDC, with Akpabio attributing many of the agency’s setbacks to internal leadership conflicts and lack of cohesion.