The Senate President, Sen. Godswill Akpabio has cautioned second-term governors, particularly those on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), to exercise wisdom and foresight when selecting their successors.

The former governor of Akwa Ibom State gave this warning on Saturday while speaking against choosing candidates based on blind loyalty or superficial gestures of respect.

According to the Senate President, such decisions could lead to future betrayal and governance failure.

Akpabio spoke during the commissioning of the first 30 kilometres of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway project in the Lekki axis of Lagos which was attended by President Bola Tinubu, Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, Governor  Hope Uzodimma of Imo State, Dapo Abiodun of Ogun, and Babajide Sanwo-Olu.

READ ALSO:

The Senate President stressed the importance of visionary leadership in ensuring good governance and continuity, noting that patronage-based appointments often result in disappointment and political instability.

“Do not give power to anybody who is not looking for power. Don’t give power to anybody who is not prepared,” Akpabio said.

“Don’t go hiding in your heart that this boy is very subservient; he is always kneeling when he is talking to me, his wife is always rolling on the floor—I think I should make this one the governor.

If you do that, you are giving power to somebody who is not prepared for governance, and they will disappoint you.”

Akpabio lauded President Tinubu as a leader with both “sight and vision,” urging APC governors to emulate his leadership style by grooming successors who demonstrate competence, capacity, and a clear vision for the future.