Senate President Godswill Akpabio has recounted how his wife, Unoma, regained consciousness after spending six months in a coma at a hospital in Germany.

Akpabio shared the experience during a visit to the St Padre Pio Prayer Ground in St Giovanni Rotondo, Italy, where he joined other Nigerians in prayers for the country.

He said his wife was placed on life support following complications from an operation that went wrong.

According to him, doctors had little hope for her survival, but he continued to pray and sought the intercession of St Padre Pio and the Virgin Mary.

Akpabio said his wife eventually regained consciousness, which he described as a miraculous recovery.

He added that her recovery was not immediate, as she spent another three months in the hospital before she was discharged. According to him, she initially could not remember his name or those of their children.

The Senate President said the experience strengthened his faith and was one of the reasons he has continued to visit the prayer ground. He disclosed that the latest visit was his 10th and was also an opportunity to give thanks for his wife’s recovery.

Akpabio also used the visit to pray for peace in Nigeria, particularly an end to banditry and terrorism. He said he and other Nigerians were seeking divine intervention for their families and the country.

He described the prayer ground as a holy site and said his personal experience had deepened his belief in St Padre Pio’s intercession.

As a tribute to the saint, Akpabio said his family gave their son the baptismal name Pio and established the Pio Football Academy, which trains and provides scholarships for children from less privileged backgrounds.

The Senate President’s visit came ahead of the 2027 general elections, with insecurity remaining one of the issues he said he was praying would be addressed in Nigeria.