Otti Not Backing Tinubu’s Re-election – Abia LP
The Abia State chapter of the Labour Party (LP) has strongly refuted claims that Governor Alex Otti is supporting President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s re-election ambition for 2027.
This response came after recent remarks by the Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi, who suggested that all five South-East governors, irrespective of their political affiliations, were in support of President Tinubu’s second-term bid.
Speaking during a press briefing in Umuahia on Thursday, the Abia State Labour Party Chairman, Mazi Emmanuel Otti, dismissed the statement as speculative and unfounded. He clarified that Governor Otti has not conveyed any intention to back the President’s 2027 political ambitions.
“No, he (Umahi) didn’t say Governor Otti and the other South-East governors are supporting the President’s re-election in 2027. Umahi was simply making a postulation,” Mazi Otti stated.
He emphasized that the governor has not communicated any political alignment with the President regarding the upcoming election, and therefore any such assertion remains speculative.
“The governor has not told us anything like that. So for now, it remains speculation. We didn’t hear it from the governor—Umahi merely postulated,” he added.
Addressing the recent invitation extended to President Tinubu to commission the Port Harcourt Road project in Aba, the LP Chairman clarified that the move was entirely official and devoid of political undertones.
“That is the official function of the President. He is the President of the country, and commissioning projects is part of his statutory role. Abia is part of Nigeria, and therefore it is within the President’s jurisdiction to visit and perform such functions,” Mazi Otti said.
When asked if any political declarations could be expected during the President’s visit, he stated, “I wouldn’t preempt either the governor or the President. Let’s wait and see what they say when the President visits.”
Senator Umahi’s initial comments were made earlier in the week during the South-East Zonal Executive Committee meeting of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) held in Enugu. His assertion that all South-East governors were behind President Tinubu’s 2027 ambition sparked swift reactions and political debates across the region.
As the political atmosphere in the South-East continues to heat up ahead of the 2027 general elections, the Labour Party’s swift response underscores its intent to maintain clarity and independence in political positioning, especially as the party continues to assert itself as a strong alternative in the Nigerian political space.
