Otti Reaffirms Exit From Politics After Governorship, Denies 2027 Ambition

Abia State governor, Alex Otti, has reiterated that he will quit active politics after completing his tenure as governor, maintaining that he had no plans to contest for any other political office, including the presidency, vice presidency, or Senate.

Speaking on Friday at the Government House, Umuahia, Otti dismissed claims suggesting that his recent visit to detained IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu, at the Sokoto Correctional Centre, was part of a broader political ambition.

The governor was reacting to a viral video in which a critic accused him of eyeing a higher national office after his tenure.

“In the first place, that is the beauty of democracy. People should hold their opinions, and we respect that. But the fact that you hold a different opinion does not mean you are right,” Otti said.

He insisted that his political journey would end with his governorship, noting that his mission in politics was clear from the onset.

“One of the things he talked about was my ambition after being governor, and I have said it before, and I want to say it again, that by the time I am done with governorship, I will retire.

“I do not have presidential ambition, nor vice-presidential ambition. I also do not have senatorial ambition when I finish with the governorship.

“I came on a mission, and when I deliver that mission, I will give way for younger people,” he declared.

Otti also dismissed talk of an “Igbo presidency” as unrelated to his political goals, saying, “He was talking of the Igbo presidency. I do not even understand what that means. So if his thesis is based on that assumption, the assumption has collapsed because he will not see me on the ballot.”

The governor said every political leader must recognize when to step aside after fulfilling their purpose.

“When you have done what you have been asked to do, you must take the exit door and give way to other people. We have seen people here who, after being governor, went back to become local government chairmen. That is not what we are here for. We are not cut out for those kinds of things,” he added.

On his visit to Nnamdi Kanu, Otti explained that his action was purely humanitarian and part of ongoing peace discussions, not political maneuvering.

“Exactly 24 months ago, I opened up discussions at the highest level on Nnamdi Kanu. Going to see him is the right thing to do because he comes from my state, from Umuahia North, the state capital,” Otti stated.

He clarified that dialogue remains a better option than ignoring difficult national issues.

“There are always different ways to solve a problem. I do not believe that the way to solve a problem is to ignore it. I had written extensively, even about Nnamdi Kanu and Operation Python Dance, in 2017 or 2018, and I condemned it. I still condemn it,” he said.

While emphasising his respect for legal processes, Otti said there are also administrative and humanitarian approaches to conflict resolution.

“I am not a lawyer. If the judiciary says the man has been sentenced to life imprisonment, that is certainly not the end. That is the court of first instance. There is still an opportunity to appeal, and even to go to the Supreme Court.

“What we are trying to do is to intervene. I am not a supporter of the disintegration of Nigeria,” he noted.

Otti stressed that his intervention was motivated by a desire for peace, not politics.

“It would be insensitive of me to sit here and say that one of our own who has been convicted should die when we have an opportunity to discuss, negotiate, and sue for peace. Even people convicted to death can be pardoned. That is what I am working on. It has nothing to do with non-existent presidential ambition. Everything is not politics,” he concluded.