Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, has explained that his support for President Bola Tinubu is based on his responsibilities as a state governor and member of the National Economic Council.
Otti made the clarification during an interview on Arise Television on Friday while responding to questions about his position on Tinubu’s bid for a second term in 2027.
The governor, who is a member of the Labour Party, said it would be difficult for him to openly oppose Tinubu’s candidacy while participating in the administration and its decision-making processes.
“It’s a statement of fact. I am not in a position to oppose his candidacy,” Otti said.
He, however, stressed that his support for Tinubu as a sitting governor should not be interpreted as an indication that the Labour Party had abandoned the possibility of fielding its own presidential candidate in 2027.
When asked if Tinubu was the presidential candidate he had earlier referred to, Otti disagreed.
“No, that’s not what I said,” he said, confirming that he was referring to a Labour Party presidential candidate.
Asked again if he supported Tinubu’s re-election, the governor replied, “What do you expect me to say? To say I’m not supporting him?”
Otti explained that as a member of the National Economic Council, he was involved in discussions surrounding some of the Federal Government’s policies and decisions.
He said his preferred approach when he disagreed with a government policy was to express his concerns within official meetings rather than publicly 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,” he said.
Otti added, “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.”
The Abia governor also acknowledged that some of Tinubu’s policies aligned with his own views, particularly the removal of the petrol subsidy.
“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,” Otti said.
He added that the subsidy regime was not sustainable, saying, “People don’t have to agree with me, but from where I sit, I know that for instance, the fuel subsidy was even unsustainable.”
