Senate President Godswill Akpabio has shared a deeply personal account of faith, healing, and divine intervention, revealing how his wife survived a life-threatening medical crisis after spending six months in a coma.

 

In a statement released on Saturday through his Special Assistant on Media, Jackson Udom, Akpabio detailed his pilgrimage to the St. Padre Pio prayer ground—a site he was visiting for the 10th time to offer thanksgiving and seek divine intercession for Nigeria ahead of the 2027 general elections.

 

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### "A Miraculous Recovery That Baffled Doctors"

 

Recalling the harrowing experience, the Senate President revealed that his wife suffered severe complications following a surgical procedure in Germany, leaving her on life support with virtually no chance of survival.

 

Instead of consenting to turn off the life support machine, Akpabio turned to his faith, praying to the Virgin Mary and invoking the intercession of Catholic saint Padre Pio.

 

> *"My wife was in a coma for six months in a hospital in Germany. She was 98 per cent dead. I used the picture of Pio to make a sign of the cross on her, instead of taking off the life support machine she was on. She had an operation that went wrong. I cried to Mother Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ, and called on Pio to intercede.*

> *"Miraculously, she woke up. That hospital, to date, is yet to understand what happened. As someone who has experienced the powers in which I am standing, I can understand it more than anyone else."*

 

Akpabio added that after being discharged, it took three months for his wife to regain her memory and recognize him and their children.

 

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### Honoring St. Padre Pio: Legacy and Philanthropy

 

In gratitude for what he described as a divine miracle, Akpabio shared that his family took concrete steps to honor St. Padre Pio:

 

* **Family Name:** They gave their son the baptismal name **Pio**.

* **Community Impact:** They founded the **Pio Football Academy**, an initiative that provides athletic training and academic scholarships to underprivileged children from age nine through university level.

 

> *"We are here today to give thanks to God and to thank Pio for always interceding for us... We established a big academy which we called Pio Football Academy... all in memory of Pio. May his soul rest in perfect peace."*

 

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### Praying for Nigeria's Peace Ahead of 2027

 

Beyond his personal testimony, Akpabio noted that his pilgrimage alongside other Nigerian worshippers was focused on praying for national unity and an end to the insecurity, banditry, and terrorism currently confronting the country.

 

Describing the prayer site as a sacred space, Akpabio expressed confidence that their prayers for the nation would be answered:

 

> *"We came to offer prayers and get blessings from God for ourselves, our families, and our dear country that is currently being ravaged by banditry and terrorism... 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."*