Abia State Governor, Dr Alex Otti, has distanced himself from the endorsement of President Bola Tinubu’s second-term bid by Imo State Governor, Senator Hope Uzodimma, insisting that no individual governor has the mandate to speak on behalf of the entire South-East geopolitical zone.
Governor Otti made the remarks in response to Uzodimma’s recent declaration that the five governors of the South-East had resolved to support President Tinubu’s re-election in the 2027 general elections.
Speaking in an interview aired by News Central TV on Friday, the Abia governor questioned the basis of the endorsement, maintaining that political decisions of such magnitude should be left to the people of the region.
“The governor of Imo State said something about re-electing the president, but I’m not sure it is right to say that,” Otti said.
He added: “As a governor and as an individual, he can’t speak for every governor.”
Governor Uzodimma, who serves as Chairman of the South-East Governors’ Forum, had earlier stated that the region’s governors had unanimously agreed to support President Tinubu’s re-election bid, citing what he described as the President’s unprecedented commitment to the development of the South-East through major infrastructure and economic initiatives.
According to the Imo governor: “We, the five governors of the South-East, have reviewed all options and decided that we will work with President Bola Tinubu because we want to be part of Project Nigeria.”
However, Governor Otti rejected the suggestion that a collective position had been reached, stressing that the people of the South-East would make their political choices when the appropriate time arrived.
“I am sure there is an appropriate time when people will take their decision,” he said.
Despite disagreeing with Uzodimma’s endorsement, Otti clarified that his position should not be interpreted as opposition to the Tinubu administration. He acknowledged supporting several of the Federal Government’s policy initiatives, both before and after assuming office as governor.
“But let’s also say something here. This is a government, and a government sees all the work from the national level to the sub-national level and even to the corporate level.
“Like I said the other day, there are a lot of policies that I have supported, even as a private citizen before I became the governor of the state,” he stated.
The Abia governor has consistently adopted what observers describe as an independent political stance, often evaluating Federal Government policies on their merits rather than along partisan lines.
Earlier in the week, while receiving Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, in Umuahia, Otti defended the Federal Government’s economic reforms, arguing that the economic challenges currently facing the country were largely the consequence of years of poor fiscal and economic decisions.
His latest comments underscore differing political perspectives among South-East leaders as political alignments ahead of the 2027 general elections continue to evolve.
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