Godswill Akpabio is the son of Chief Obot Akpabio and Madam Lucy Obot Akpabio (née Inyangetor) of Ukana, Ikot Ntuen in
Essien Udim Local Government Area.[8] He was born on 9 December 1962.[9] He lost his father at an early age and was raised by his mother.[10]
While at the Federal Government College,
Port Harcourt, he was appointed the Senior Prefect.[11] In the
University of Calabar, Akpabio was elected as the Student Union Government (SUG) Speaker of the parliamentary year.[16][8]
Family and personal life
Akpabio's grandfather, Okuku Udo Akpabio, was the Warrant Chief in
Ikot Ekpene province. His uncle, Dr. I. U. Akpabio, was the Minister of Education/Internal Affairs in the then
Eastern Nigeria. Justice Nsima Akpabio, his cousin, was a
senator in the
Second Nigerian Republic.[8]
Akpabio and his wife have four daughters and a son.
Career and employment
Akpabio had a brief stint as a
teacher and as an associate partner with Paul Usoro and Co., a
law firm in
Nigeria.[22][23]
He also worked with EMIS Telecoms Limited, a
wireless telecommunications company in Lagos, Nigeria. In 2002, he rose to the position of the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of the company.[23] In this position, he helped in shaping the future of the burgeoning
telecoms industry. He had earlier served as the National Publicity Secretary of the Association of Telecommunication Companies in Nigeria, (ATCOM), while a director of EMIS.[24]
Appointments and politics
In 2002, he was appointed Honourable Commissioner for Petroleum and Natural Resources by the then Governor
Obong Victor Attah in
Akwa Ibom State. Between 2002 and 2006, he served as a Commissioner in three key ministries: Petroleum and Natural Resources, Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, as well as Lands and Housing.[23][10][25]
In 2015, he contested and won the
Senate seat of the
Akwa Ibom North-West Senatorial District (Ikot Ekpene) to represent the district in the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Running under the platform of the People's Democratic Party (PDP), he polled 422,009 of the 439,449 to defeat Chief Inibehe Okorie of the
All Progressives Congress (APC) who recorded 15,152 votes to be declared elected by the
Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).[5]
In August 2018, he resigned as the Senate Minority Leader,[31] after he had announced his defection to the
All Progressives Congress. His defection was marked by Political rally in his hometown at the Ikot Ekpene township stadium, Akwa Ibom State.[32]
In July 2019, he was nominated by President
Muhammadu Buhari and screened by the
Nigerian Senate for a Ministerial appointment.[33]
On 21 August 2019, he was sworn in as Minister for Niger Delta Affairs.[34][35]
In June 2022, Akpabio resigned from his position as minister for Niger Delta Affairs to contest in the presidential primaries of the ruling
All Progressives Congress (APC) but stepped down on the night of the primaries for the eventual winner
Bola Tinubu. A few days after the presidential primaries, he emerged as the Senatorial candidate for
Akwa Ibom North-West Senatorial District. However, it was fraught with accusations of foul play by stakeholders of the party in the State. He went on to defeat his closest rival Emmanuel Enoidem of the
Peoples Democratic Party to become the senator-elect in the 2023 general elections polling 115,401 votes, against Enoidem's 69,838 votes.[36]
Godswill Akpabio was under investigation by the
Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on accusations that he diverted over 100 billion Naira from
Akwa Ibom State during his time as governor (2007-2015) with American diplomats calling the level of corruption "exceptional" during his tenure.[40][41] However, no charges have been filed.[42] A lawyer, Leo Ekpenyong who also accused Akpabio of corruption, was later arraigned by the police in court for defamation.[43]
In May 2020, Akpabio was summoned by members of the House of Representatives over the misappropriation of 40 billion Naira.[44]
Africa Lifetime Achievement Prize awarded by Millennium Excellence Foundation in
Kenya.[46]
The Gold Humanitarian Services Award of the
Republic of Niger 2008 conferred on him by
Niger's Ambassador to
Nigeria, His Excellency, Alhaji Moussa Ibrahim.[47]
^"The Gang of 43 breaks cover". Africa Confidential. pp. 26 July 2019. Retrieved 19 December 2021. During Akpabio's tenure as governor in Akwa Ibom, the level of corruption was 'exceptional', according to US diplomats at the time. So was political violence.