Will Akpabio Extend Forgiveness to His Former Ally, Udofia? – THISDAYLIVE

Unlike in other states, politics in Akwa Ibom can feel less like policy and more like family drama.

Senate President Godswill Akpabio recently made a surprising spiritual pivot. After a New Year’s Mass in Uyo, he publicly dropped nine defamation lawsuits, calling the move an act of personal grace. This included a high-profile N200 billion case against Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan.

This new benevolence of the often-practical man raises a practical question. Will it extend beyond the courtroom to the political arena? Specifically, to his strained alliance with businessman Akanimo Udofia?

As a reminder, the rapport between Udofia and Akpabio frayed during the 2023 APC primaries. Udofia’s perceived independence was viewed as effrontery within Akpabio’s camp. In the lexicon of Nigerian godfather politics, such a misstep requires a propitiation to restore favour and funding.

Udofia has allegedly worked to mend fences. As a latecomer to the APC, he has publicly felicitated Akpabio to prove loyalty. Yet the landscape has shifted. Akpabio now courts PDP Governor Umo Eno, endorsing him for a second term. This realpolitik leaves Udofia’s 2027 ambitions in limbo.

For Udofia, a businessman needing political machinery, Akpabio’s benison is essential. It is the key to federal influence and party backing. Without it, his governorship dream lacks plinth.

While Akpabio’s recent legal forgiveness shows a capacity for public reconciliation, political forgiveness is a different currency. It is rarely an act of charity; it is a calculation of future utility. Therefore, even as Udofia might be waiting to see if his political ledger has been cleared, he must admit that in this high-stakes family, forgiveness is rarely given; rather, it is strategically dispensed, often to the most useful child.