The Labour Party in Abia State has refuted claims that Governor Alex Otti is aligned with President Bola Tinubu’s re-election campaign ahead of the 2027 general elections.
This clarification comes in response to a recent assertion by the Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi, who suggested that all five South-East governors, irrespective of their political affiliations, were backing Tinubu’s second-term bid.
Addressing journalists in Umuahia on Thursday, the Abia State Labour Party Chairman, Mazi Emmanuel Otti, dismissed Umahi’s comments as speculative and lacking confirmation from the governor himself.
“Umahi didn’t categorically state that Governor Otti and the other South-East governors have pledged support for President Tinubu. He merely suggested that they ‘will’—it was a projection, not a declaration,” he said.
He further emphasized that Governor Otti has not communicated any such position to the party, insisting that any claims suggesting otherwise remain unsubstantiated.
“We haven’t received any indication or statement from the governor concerning support for the President’s re-election. As far as we are concerned, that remains a personal opinion of the minister,” he added.
Responding to the recent invitation extended to President Tinubu by Governor Otti to inaugurate the Port Harcourt Road in Aba, the LP chairman clarified that the gesture was strictly official.
“It is within the President’s mandate to commission projects. Abia State is part of Nigeria, and the President is constitutionally allowed to perform such duties in any state,” he explained.
Asked whether political declarations might be made during the President’s visit, Mazi Otti declined to speculate.
“I won’t presume what the President or the governor may say. Let’s wait for the day and hear from them directly,” he stated.
Senator Umahi had earlier made the controversial remarks during a South-East zonal meeting of the Peoples Democratic Party in Enugu, claiming unanimous support from South-East governors for President Tinubu’s 2027 re-election, despite political party differences.
