Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, has explained his position on President Bola Tinubu, saying his support is based on his role as a governor and member of the National Economic Council.
Otti made the clarification during an interview on Arise Television after he was asked whether his position amounted to a comfortable arrangement between him, a Labour Party governor, and the ruling All Progressives Congress.
“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.
The governor, however, clarified that supporting Tinubu’s administration does not mean he has adopted the President as his candidate for the 2027 presidential election.
Asked 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, he replied, “No, that’s not what I said.”
Asked if he meant a Labour Party presidential candidate, Otti said, “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 explained that as a governor and NEC member, he participates in decisions and policies of the Federal Government.
“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 added that he prefers to raise disagreements within government meetings rather than openly oppose the President.
“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 said.
He also said some of Tinubu’s policies resonate with him, citing the removal of the fuel 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.
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