Abia State Governor, Dr. Alex Otti, has said that when the time comes Nigerians will decide who will be elected President in 2027, stressing that Governor Hope Uzodinma of Imo State cannot speak for his colleagues in the South-east region on the issue.
This was as the Igbo Leaders of Thought (ILT) has lambasted the South-east governors for indulging in unbridled sycophancy by attributing every project executed in the region to President Bola Tinubu.
Otti made the remarks while responding to questions during the July 2026 edition of his monthly media chat, tagged ‘Governor Alex Otti Speaks to Abians’, held at Michael Okpara Auditorium, Thursday night.
He was reacting to a comment credited to Governor Uzodinma to the effect that the South-east governors have resolved to support President Tinubu’s re-election in 2027, because he has caused great development in the South-east through execution of projects, including roads, rail development and the South East Development Commission.
The Imo governor said his brother governors agreed to support Tinubu’s re-election because of the development he has brought to the region.
However, Otti, while maintaining that Uzodimma had the right to express his personal opinion, said the decision on who becomes president in 2027 would ultimately be made by the electorate.
“If he (Uzodinma) said that, it is his right to say it as a governor and as an individual, but he can’t speak for everybody. I’m sure that at the appropriate time, people will take their decision,” Otti said.
The Abia governor equally made it clear that he was a member of the Labour Party and that his party has it owns Presidential and Vice Presidential candidates for 2027 poll.
“My party is Labour Party. And Labour Party has its own presidential and vice-presidential candidates. To the extent that we have candidates, we support them,” he said.
Otti stressed that he was not opposed to President Tinubu seeking a second term, saying that the President was constitutionally entitled to recontest for a second term.
“Am I against the President running for a second term? Absolutely no. He has a right to run for a second term, and others who also want to run have a right to run,” he said.
The governor noted that in a democracy, any qualified candidate was entitled to seek elective office, while voters remain the ultimate decision makers.
“At the end of the day, it’s the ballot box…. that will determine what happens,” he stated.
He also restated his support for some of the President’s economic policies, including removal of petrol subsidy, saying he had consistently argued against subsidising consumption long before he became governor.
He reasoned that fuel subsidy encourages corruption, saying “subsidizing consumption is not the way to go.”
Otti also revealed that the South-east states and parts of the South-south are parleying on how to develop a regional rail network to boost connectivity and economic integration. He said Abia has not pursued its plan to build a light rail due to issues of connectivity. According to him, the state was discussing with other South-east states and some states in the South-south to see how they can jointly embark on building a railway that could connect the region.
Meanwhile, the ILT composed of prominent intellectuals, traditional rulers and stakeholders from the South-east zone, came hard on the governors in a statement signed by its President, Professor Elochukwu Amucheazi, and Secretary, Professor Jerry Chukwuokolo.
“Unfortunately, some Igbo governors in order to curry federal favour are now telling us that all the infrastructures that they have put in place wouldn’t have been possible without the support of the President,” the ILT said.
According to the group, the governors undermine their own mandate to deliver democracy dividends to the people when they continue crediting the President with every project they have executed.
“For instance, apart from the concessioning of the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, the Enugu State governor attributes the smart school project to President Tinubu’s support. Similarly, the Ebonyi State governor attributes the ICT University that was started by Engr. Dave Umahi to the President.
“Enough of all these sycophantic dispositions. Political office holders from Alaigbo should face the provision of democracy dividends as their mandates,” the group of prominent Igbo leaders said.
The ILT also warned those parroting presidential spokesman, Bayo Onanuga in “reeling out unfounded propaganda that there has never been any government that has remembered Ndi Igbo as the present government, to stop forthwith such irresponsible lies.”
It wondered how people could be “seeing the concessioning of Akanu Ibiam International Airport as a favour to Ndi Igbo” and queried why the government didn’t concession other international airports in Nigeria.
The ILT also warned against suppression of Nigeria’s opposition parties, saying that narrowing the political space ahead of the forthcoming general elections was a recipe for chaos.
It specially noted with apprehension the recent alarm raised by the presidential candidate of Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, over his safety and systematic frustration of his businesses.
The group also frowned at judicial pronouncements against the key opposition parties, targeted at destabilising their preparations for the 2027 polls.
“The Igbo Leaders of Thought strongly condemns the ongoing suppression of opposition in Nigeria. If not curbed, it could derail plans for the 2027 general election, cause serious political instability, and derail our hard-won democracy,” the statement said.
The group reminded political actors and Nigerians in general that “the democracy that we are enjoying in Nigeria (presently) did not come on a platter. It is a product of a long-drawn political struggle against military rule.”
“Ironically, those in power in Nigeria today, who do not want the opposition to breathe, pride themselves as key players in the struggle for the restoration of democracy in Nigeria,” the ILT said.
It regretted that “the same people who claim to be champions of democracy are emasculating the opposition” against the dictates of democratic norms and culture.
Citing Nigeria’s past and recent past democratic dispensations that crumbled, the group pointed out that the journey to the truncated republics started with similar scenarios as being played out currently.
ILT, therefore, insisted that Nigeria cannot afford another major political crisis arising from election, given that the country suffered dearly because of the mistakes of past
It said, “After Nigeria’s Independence in 1960, the violent political protest (Operation Wetie) that took place in 1962 in Western Nigeria, triggered a chain of events, including bloodletting and burning of properties, which eventually led to the first military coup in Nigeria on January 15, 1966.
“In the Second Republic, a disputed governorship election triggered a devastating political upheaval in Ondo State, resulting in widespread burning of properties and loss of several lives, ultimately paving the way for another military intervention in 1983.
“If we cannot remember what happened in the First and Second Republics, we should be able to remember the political violence that trailed the 2011 presidential election, which according to Human Rights Watch, claimed over 800 lives in Northern Nigeria, including innocent youth corps members.”
The ILT said that the issues it raised were done with every sense of patriotism and the need to grow and strengthen Nigeria’s democracy and democratic institutions.
“We are not in any way trying to engage in scare mongering, but just appealing to those in authority in Nigeria to do what is right,” the group said.
Emmanuel Ugwu-Nwogo and Boniface Okoro
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