2027: Alex Otti Cautions Political Appointees Against Distractions

By Cynthia Onuado

Governor of Abia State, Alex Otti, has cautioned political office holders in the state to remain focused on governance amid rising political activities ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Otti gave the charge while declaring open a two-day First Quarter Retreat organised by the Abia State Government for political appointees at the International Conference Centre, Ogurube-Umuahia.

The retreat was themed: “Accelerating Progress: Unlocking New Opportunities.”

The governor acknowledged that residents of the state had begun to witness improvements in their social and economic conditions under his administration but warned that emerging political developments must not distract members of the cabinet from delivering on their mandates.

He noted that 2026 would be particularly demanding for government officials, stressing that no level of political noise should derail the administration’s development agenda across critical sectors.

“My charge to you is to keep doing your job with assured diligence and firm commitment to the New Abia Agenda.

“We must stay focused. However, it would amount to self-deceit to be ignorant or inattentive to political occurrences around us.

“This will be a very busy year for all of us, and we must prepare for the journey ahead. There will be distractions, but no amount of noise, whatever the decibel, can take our attention away from the developments we want to see in our educational institutions, health ecosystem, and other critical sectors, where we plan to invest over one trillion naira in the current fiscal year,” he said.

Otti emphasised that the future of Abia State must take precedence over all other considerations, adding that any action capable of derailing collectively agreed goals should be firmly set aside.

After being briefed by the retreat planning committee on the structure and tone of the programme, the governor urged all political appointees to take the exercise seriously and participate actively.

Earlier, the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Emmanuel Meribeole, said the retreat was convened at a critical moment when collective effort was needed to rebuild and reposition Abia State for sustainable growth.

Meribeole noted that since assuming office, Governor Otti had pursued deliberate and impactful reforms across various sectors of the state economy, adding that such progress should not breed complacency.

According to him, the theme of the retreat, “Accelerating Progress: Unlocking New Opportunities,” challenges participants to ask critical questions, engage in honest introspection, ensure strategic alignment and evaluate performance.

He added that the retreat also served as a platform to strengthen teamwork across Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), urging participants to engage openly in discussions, share experiences, challenge assumptions constructively and embrace innovative ideas to enhance service delivery.