Abia State Governor Alex Otti has explained why he believes openly opposing President Bola Tinubu’s 2027 re-election bid while serving as governor could create a crisis within government.
Speaking during an interview on Arise Television on Friday, Otti said his position as a governor and member of the National Economic Council places him within the federal government’s decision-making structure, making it difficult for him to publicly oppose the President.
Otti, who was elected on the platform of the Labour Party, said there was a distinction between his responsibilities as a governor and the Labour Party’s decision on who should contest the 2027 presidential election.
He rejected the suggestion that his position amounted to abandoning the Labour Party’s presidential candidate, insisting that he had previously stated that the party had its own candidate.
However, when asked directly whether he was supporting Tinubu’s re-election, Otti said his responsibilities as governor made it necessary for him to support the President.
“I had also said that as a governor in this republic, that a lot of the things that are being, in fact, I’m part of all the things that have been done as a member of National Economic Council. So, we should distinguish that,” he said.
The governor argued that publicly opposing the President while remaining part of the government could create divisions within the administration.
“And sometimes people don’t understand opposition. When you say opposition, and you are part of a government, then what you are driving towards is implosion,” Otti said.
He explained that where he disagrees with federal government policies, he prefers to raise such concerns during official meetings rather than publicly campaign against the President.
“So if I do have a problem with anything, I’ll sit down in one of our meetings and I’ll make my point. So I’m not going to oppose his candidacy,” he added.
Otti also said his support for some of Tinubu’s policies was based on his assessment of the policies themselves, rather than party affiliation.
He cited the removal of the petrol subsidy as one policy that aligns with his own thinking, describing the subsidy as unsustainable.
The governor’s comments come amid growing attention to the political positions of Labour Party figures ahead of the 2027 elections. Otti has maintained his membership of the Labour Party while also maintaining a cordial relationship with Tinubu.
His latest remarks therefore highlight the distinction he draws between his role in the federal government’s economic decision-making process and the Labour Party’s political choice for the 2027 presidential election.
