I’ve My 2027 Candidate, But I Support Tinubu As President—Otti

Abia State Governor, Dr Alex Otti, has said that his support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as Nigeria’s sitting president is separate from his choice of presidential candidate for the 2027 general election.

Otti made the clarification during an interview with ARISE News anchor, Ojy Okpe, while responding to questions about his position on Tinubu’s re-election bid and his continued membership of the Labour Party.

Asked whether he was supporting Tinubu for the 2027 presidential election, the governor said he already had a preferred candidate.

“For the 2027 election, I had said that I have a presidential candidate,” he said.

When asked whether he was supporting the candidate, Otti responded in the affirmative.

He, however, stressed that Tinubu had the constitutional right to seek re-election, noting that his responsibilities as a governor and member of the National Economic Council required him to work with the President.

“What I talked about is supporting the president as the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. As time goes on, it is for me now to decide who to support.

“But at the moment, I have a presidential candidate, and it’s expected that I will support my presidential candidate,” Otti said.

The governor explained that his participation in the National Economic Council and other government activities should not be confused with his personal political choice ahead of the next presidential election.

On his continued membership of the Labour Party amid its internal leadership disputes and legal battles, Otti said the party had resolved its challenges, insisting that leaving the party was not the appropriate response to the crisis.

He likened the situation to a homeowner refusing to abandon his house because of an armed robbery.

“There is a saying that you don’t relocate from your house because armed robbers came.

“Armed robbers came and attacked the house, so tomorrow you move and go to your neighbor’s house? You need to solve the problem, so I remained, and I’m sure you agree with me that we have solved the problem,” he said.

Otti added that the Independent National Electoral Commission’s publication of the party’s candidates’ list had further strengthened his position, describing any fresh litigation over the matter as potentially an academic exercise.

He also defended his decision to remain in the party despite the possibility of renewed court cases.

The governor also addressed the decision of former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, to leave the party, revealing that Obi had met with him before his departure.

According to Otti, he advised Obi that he intended to remain in the Labour Party, but Obi chose a different political path.

“He came and met with me, and I told him that for me, I was staying back. But he said he was leaving,” he said.

Otti said he had offered Obi advice based on his understanding of the political situation, while acknowledging that the former presidential candidate might have had information or perspectives he did not possess.

He also said some of his expectations about Obi’s political moves had materialized, including his decision to leave a political platform he had initially joined.

Reacting to Obi’s position that the Labour Party’s crisis would not have been resolved had he remained in the party, Otti said efforts to resolve the dispute were already underway before Obi’s departure.

“The process of resolution was already on. So for me, I could see that resolution,” he said.

The governor, however, acknowledged that it was difficult to determine whether the party’s crisis would have been resolved if Obi had remained.

“So it’s a matter of debate whether the problem could have been resolved with him there or not; I don’t know,” Otti added.