UZODIMMA CAN’T SPEAK FOR EVERYBODY, OTTI CLEARS AIR ON 2027 SOUTH-EAST BACKING OF TINUBU

Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, has distanced himself from claims by Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma that all five South-East governors had resolved to support President Bola Tinubu’s re-election in 2027, saying Uzodimma could not speak for every governor in the region.

Otti said while Uzodimma had the right to express his personal opinion, the decision on who becomes president in 2027 would ultimately rest with Nigerians through the ballot.

The governor made the remarks on Thursday during his monthly media chat, in response to a question on Uzodimma’s recent statement that the South-East governors had agreed to back Tinubu for a second term.

“If he 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.

He also stressed that as a member of the Labour Party, his political party would field its own presidential and vice-presidential candidates for the 2027 election.

“My party is Labour Party. And Labour Party has its own presidential and vice-presidential candidate. To the extent that we have candidates, we support them,” he said.

Otti, however, said he was not opposed to President Tinubu seeking a second term, noting that the president was constitutionally entitled to contest.

“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.

According to him, democracy allows every qualified aspirant 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 added.

Otti also reiterated his support for some of the Federal Government’s economic policies, including the removal of petrol subsidy, saying he had consistently argued against subsidising consumption long before becoming governor.

According to him, fuel subsidy encourages corruption, maintaining that “subsidising consumption is not the way to go.”

Uzodimma, who chairs the South-East Governors’ Forum, had recently said the five governors in the region had resolved to support Tinubu’s re-election, citing ongoing federal infrastructure projects, including roads, rail development and the South East Development Commission, as reasons for the decision.

The South-East governors are drawn from different political parties: Uzodimma and Ebonyi State Governor Francis Nwifuru are members of the All Progressives Congress, Enugu State Governor Peter Mbah belongs to the Peoples Democratic Party, Otti is of the Labour Party, while Anambra State Governor Chukwuma Soludo is a member of the All Progressives Grand Alliance.