Abia State Governor, Alex Otti has explained his position on President Bola Tinubu’s 2027 re-election bid, saying he has to support the President in his capacity as a governor and member of the National Economic Council.
Otti made the clarification in an exclusive interview aired on Arise Television on Friday, after he was asked whether his support for Tinubu’s re-election amounted to a “comfortable arrangement” between him, a Labour Party governor, and the ruling All Progressives Congress.
The governor said he was not in a position to oppose Tinubu’s candidacy, adding that doing so while being part of the government could lead to “implosion”.
“It works the way you have said. It’s a statement of fact. I am not in a position to oppose his candidacy,” Otti said.
He, however, distinguished between supporting Tinubu’s administration and having a presidential candidate for the Labour Party in the 2027 election.
Asked directly whether he was supporting Tinubu for re-election, Otti said he had previously stated that he had a presidential candidate for the Labour Party.
When the interviewer identified Tinubu as that candidate, Otti rejected the suggestion.
“No, that’s not what I said,” he said.
Asked whether he was referring to a Labour Party presidential candidate, Otti replied, “Yes.”
The interviewer then returned to the question of whether he was supporting Tinubu.
“What do you expect me to say? To say I’m not supporting him?” Otti responded.
He said Tinubu had a right to contest the 2027 election and noted that, as a state governor and member of the National Economic Council, he was involved in some of the decisions and policies of the Federal Government.
“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.
“When somebody now says, ‘Oh, you are supporting or you’re not,’ I have to support him,” he said.
Otti also said his approach to political disagreement was to raise concerns within government meetings rather than openly oppose the President.
“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.
“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.
He added that some of Tinubu’s policies resonated with his own views, citing the removal of the fuel subsidy as an example.
“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
