PDP Rebukes Akpabio for Denying Past Membership

The National Working Committee (NWC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) responded to Senate President Godswill Akpabio's recent denial of ever being a member of the party, labeling his claim as "laughable" and "ridiculous." Akpabio, who rose to national prominence as the governor of Akwa Ibom State from 2007 to 2015 and served as the Chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum, made the denial during a Senate session. He stated, “I was never in PDP; my name might be there, but my heart was never there,” while describing himself as a “progressive.” This statement came after Senator Jibrin Isah (Kogi East) reminded him of their shared history in the PDP, particularly in relation to honoring the late Ibrahim Idris, a former Kogi State governor.

Akpabio was the Minority Leader of the Senate from 2015 to 2018 while serving as a PDP senator before defecting to the All Progressives Congress in August 2018.