President Bola Tinubu granted executive approval for the long-delayed Ibom Deep Seaport on Saturday — but only after personally bargaining for two million votes in return, according to accounts of his working visit to Akwa Ibom State.

Governor Umo Eno, who has faced public pressure over the stalled project since taking office in 2023, sealed the deal in an unusual public exchange. Quoting the Biblical exchange between God and Prophet Samuel, the governor beseeched the President to "please speak, for your servant heareth." Tinubu obliged — at a price.

"Will you vote for me?" the President thundered before the crowd at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium, known as the Nest of Champions. "If you vote for me, then the Seaport is yours," he assured.

The crowd answered in the affirmative, with a guarantee of two million votes.

What did the approval actually cover?

The executive approval clears the financing arrangements for the Ibom Deep Seaport (IDS), a project Akwa Ibom has pursued for years through a series of overtures to the Presidency. Eno had pressed for the final sign-off during the President's weekend working visit, seeking to calm anxious citizens by having Tinubu make the pronouncement himself. What began as a plea ended as a political gambit — a seaport-for-votes concession the President negotiated in the open.

On Sunday, Eno took to radio in a state-wide broadcast to formally thank Tinubu, whose approval he framed as the payoff to a defining economic moment for the state.

"On behalf of the Government and people of Akwa Ibom State, together with the Senate President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and his dear wife, we sincerely thank Mr President for honouring us with his esteemed presence and more importantly, for his landmark approval of the financing arrangements for the Ibom Deep Sea Port Project," Eno said.

How does the governor frame the stakes?

Eno cast the port as far more than concrete and cranes. In his telling, it is the lever for the state's entire economic future.

"This approval marks a defining moment in our State's economic journey. The Ibom Deep Sea Port is not just an infrastructure project; it is a gateway to economic transformation, international trade, investments, industrial growth and employment opportunities for our people," the governor said.

He went further on regional ambition. "It will reposition Akwa Ibom as a major economic and maritime hub in Nigeria and the Gulf of Guinea," he said, referring to the Atlantic corridor that anchors West African shipping lanes.

What did Akwa Ibom promise in return?

The reciprocity was explicit. Eno assured Tinubu of full cooperation on delivery — and of electoral repayment on a fixed date.

"Mr. President, to whom much is given, much is also required. Akwa Ibom assures you that we will respond enmasse on January 16, 2027, as we will give you all our votes in support of your continuity in office from May 29, 2027," the governor said in the rare broadcast.

January 16, 2027 appears to reference the state's expected mobilisation for the presidential election cycle, with Tinubu's second term, if won, commencing May 29, 2027.

Who made the visit happen?

Eno closed the broadcast with an extended roll call of the machinery behind the President's reception. The massive turnout, he said, spanned support groups, various committees, executive council members and critical stakeholders.

"You have once again shown that Akwa Ibom is a peaceful, welcoming and investment-ready State," he told residents.

He thanked, by name and category:

• Traditional rulers and religious leaders
• Political stakeholders, youths and women
• Security agencies and public servants
• Students and everyone who contributed to the visit

The governor also acknowledged the Senate President of the Federal Republic and his wife as part of the state's delegation of gratitude.

"Once again, I thank Mr President for his visit and his support for the Ibom Deep Sea Port project," Eno said, closing a broadcast that bound a port, a presidency and two million promised votes into a single public transaction.