Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, has said his support for President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election is linked to his responsibilities as a governor and member of the National Economic Council (NEC), while maintaining that he has a presidential candidate within the Labour Party.
Otti made the clarification during an interview with Arise Television on Friday, amid questions over how his support for Tinubu fits with his membership of the opposition Labour Party.
The governor said his position was shaped by his involvement in the Federal Government’s decision-making process through the NEC, arguing that openly opposing the President while participating in the same government could create conflict within the system.
He explained that there was a distinction between supporting the President in the discharge of his duties and choosing a candidate to back as a member of the Labour Party during the 2027 election.
Otti rejected the suggestion that his reference to having a presidential candidate meant Tinubu was his Labour Party candidate. He maintained that he was referring to the candidate of the Labour Party.
The governor said he was not in a position to oppose Tinubu's re-election bid because of his office and participation in government, adding that disagreements over government policies were better handled within official meetings rather than through public confrontation.
According to him, a governor who is part of the Federal Government but simultaneously positions himself in opposition to the President risks creating an internal crisis.
Otti said that when he disagreed with any Federal Government policy or decision, he would raise his concerns during meetings rather than publicly campaign against the President.
The governor also said some of Tinubu's policies were consistent with his own views, citing the removal of the fuel subsidy as an example.
He maintained that the subsidy regime was unsustainable and said its removal was among the Federal Government's decisions that aligned with his economic thinking.
“Quite frankly, there are a lot of things that we have talked about now, that he has implemented, that resonate with me and my thinking. People don’t have to agree with me, but from where I sit, I know that for instance, the fuel subsidy was even unsustainable,” Otti said
Otti's latest explanation comes after months of questions over his political position ahead of the 2027 elections. In July, he rejected a claim by Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodimma, that all South-East governors had agreed to support Tinubu's second-term bid. Otti said Uzodimma could only speak for himself and insisted that Labour Party would field its own presidential and vice-presidential candidates.
The Abia governor has also previously maintained that his cordial relationship with Tinubu and cooperation with the Federal Government should not automatically be interpreted as a partisan endorsement.
His latest comments, however, mark a clearer explanation of why he says he supports Tinubu as President while retaining a separate political position within Labour Party for the 2027 election.
The Labour Party has already ratified Sunday Chibuzo Okereke as its presidential candidate for the 2027 election, while Otti remains the party's candidate for the Abia governorship.
Okereke was also in Abia earlier this week, where he mobilised support for Otti and other Labour Party candidates and urged voters to support the party's candidates across elective positions in the state.
Otti's position therefore places his support for Tinubu's presidency alongside his stated commitment to Labour Party candidates, with the governor distinguishing cooperation within government from partisan choices at the ballot box.
Discussion0