Senate President Godswill Akpabio has made his 10th pilgrimage to the Prayer Ground of St. Padre Pio in St Giovanni Rotondo, Italy, where he offered prayers for peaceful 2027 general elections and an end to the banditry and terrorism affecting Nigeria. Speaking to St Padre Pio TV/Radio during the visit, Akpabio said the delegation came on behalf of Nigeria.
Senate President's Prayer for Peace and Stability
"We came to offer prayers and get blessings from God for ourselves, families and our dear country that is currently being ravaged by banditry and terrorism," Akpabio said. "We are here on this prayer ground and we are going home fulfilled, that we were able to touch this Holy ground, drop our intentions which he will take to God on our behalf."
The visit comes as Nigeria enters a critical political period, with preparations for the 2027 general elections gathering pace. Akpabio expressed hope that the prayers offered at the shrine would bring stability to the country and safety to all Nigerians ahead of the elections.
Personal Devotion and a Miraculous Recovery
Akpabio described the site as sacred and noted that those who follow Pio's teachings understand the spiritual weight of the ground. He disclosed that this was his tenth visit, explaining that his devotion to the saint is deeply personal.
Akpabio recounted how his wife, Unoma Akpabio, fell into a coma for six months at a hospital in Germany following a surgery that went wrong. Doctors had given little hope. "She was 98 percent dead," he said, adding that rather than switch off her life-support machine, he used a picture of Pio to make the sign of the cross over her and prayed to Mary and St Pio for intervention. He said she woke up miraculously, leaving the hospital unable to explain her recovery. After her discharge, she spent a further three months before she could recall the names of her husband and children.
To honour the saint, Akpabio said the family gave their son the baptismal name Pio and also founded the Pio Football Academy, which provides scholarships and training to children from poor homes between the ages of nine and university level. "As someone who has experienced the powers in where I am standing, I can understand it more than anyone else," Akpabio said.
Official Statement and Political Context
The statement disclosing the visit was issued by Jackson Udom, Special Assistant to the President of the Senate on Media. The visit signals an early start to political activities ahead of the 2027 elections.
Meanwhile, in a recent meeting with Northern youth leaders, Akpabio pushed for continued support for President Bola Tinubu's administration and its reform agenda. Akpabio hosted a delegation from the Northern Ethnic Groups Assembly in Abuja, where he defended the economic policies of the Tinubu government, including the removal of the fuel subsidy and efforts to stabilise the foreign exchange market.
