● Senate President hints at backroom deals for lawmakers who lost party tickets ahead of 2027
Senate President Godswill Akpabio has assured aggrieved senators that the chamber’s leadership is working to secure “very few disappointments” for members hit by bruising primary elections, hinting at behind-the-scenes efforts to salvage political careers ahead of 2027.
Welcoming lawmakers back from a three-week recess and Eid break on Tuesday, Akpabio congratulated parties and candidates who emerged from recent primaries. But his message quickly shifted to politics of survival as he addressed a chamber rattled by surprise defeats, controversial primaries and anxiety over political futures.
“I know that there will always be victories and disappointments,” Akpabio told senators. “And in this Senate, we are promised that we will have very few disappointments. And I do know that the Senate Leader and the leadership of the Senate is working very hard towards that.”
He did not explain how the promise would be achieved. The comment drew immediate attention as it suggested ongoing political negotiations, reconciliations, substitutions, appointments, or defections to accommodate affected lawmakers.
Akpabio jokingly warned one senator not to be lured into another party — a remark that underscored growing fears of defections after contentious primaries. Several senators entered the season expecting smooth renomination only to face fierce internal opposition and shifting alliances, with governors and godfathers asserting control over candidate selection.
For senators nursing wounds from lost tickets, Akpabio’s assurance sounded less like routine protocol and more like a signal that doors remain open. Whether that translates into concrete outcomes — return tickets, executive appointments, or other arrangements — remains to be seen.
Framing it within democracy, the Senate President said every electoral process produces winners and losers but argued the “ultimate winner should be democracy itself.”
Akpabio also turned to the worsening security crisis, condemning the abduction of schoolchildren and teachers in Oyo State as “an assault on our collective humanity.” He warned politicians against exploiting tragedies for partisan gain and urged a united response, noting terrorists “do not distinguish between political parties, ethnic groups or religions.”
He called for fast-tracking a proposed security summit to generate legislative recommendations for security agencies.
For now, Akpabio appears determined to convince colleagues that despite primary season casualties, the final chapter of their political journeys “may not yet have been written.”
