‘I’m already close to Tinubu without joining APC’ —Abia Gov Otti

Abia State Governor Alex Otti has dismissed suggestions that he needs to defect to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to maintain a good relationship with President Bola Tinubu, asserting that he already enjoys direct access to the presidency.

The Labour Party governor’s comments come days after Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori, his predecessor Ifeanyi Okowa, and several PDP lawmakers in that state formally joined the APC. Okowa, who was the PDP’s 2023 vice-presidential candidate, had justified their defection as necessary to “connect Delta State to Aso Rock.”

However, in an interview with Arise Television on Friday, Otti rejected this political calculus. “I am even closer to the centre than some of them,” the governor declared when asked if he planned to follow their example.

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“Governor Otti is not decamping, and my party is not on shaky ground,” he stated emphatically. “This is democracy, and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu held on to his Alliance for Democracy, Action Congress, and Action Congress of Nigeria before becoming APC. If he had defected, he wouldn’t be president today. Sometimes, you also have to stand for something.”

The governor’s remarks come amid ongoing leadership crises within the Labour Party. When pressed about his political future, Otti remained noncommittal: “I am not God. I cannot say if there’ll still be an LP tomorrow.”

He confirmed the party’s current transitional state, noting that “the National Chairman of the party, Julius Abure, was no longer the party’s leader, as his tenure had expired,” with a Caretaker Committee now overseeing party affairs.

Otti’s stance highlights growing political tensions as more opposition figures defect to the ruling party. His insistence on maintaining independence while cultivating presidential access presents an alternative model of opposition governance, even as his own party faces existential challenges.

Political analysts suggest Otti’s position reflects both confidence in his personal relationship with Tinubu and strategic positioning ahead of future elections, with the Abia governor emerging as a rare opposition figure able to navigate Nigeria’s complex political landscape without formal alignment with the ruling party.

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