Reported by Ariajegbe Sylvia Esezobor
Abia State Governor Alex Otti has said he is not in a position to oppose President Bola Ahmed Tinubu's candidacy in the 2027 presidential election, warning that openly confronting the head of state while serving as a governor and member of the National Economic Council would amount to working towards an implosion of the system he is part of.
Otti made the declaration on Friday during an exclusive interview aired on Arise Television, responding to questions about whether his support for Tinubu's re-election 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. He said his involvement in the National Economic Council meant he participated in federal policy decisions, which placed him in a position of cooperation rather than confrontation with the Presidency. "I am part of all the things that have been done as a member of the National Economic Council. So, we should distinguish that."
The governor drew a distinction between his support for Tinubu's administration and the Labour Party's choice of a presidential candidate for 2027. Asked directly whether he was supporting Tinubu for re-election, Otti recalled that he had previously stated he had a presidential candidate in the Labour Party. When the interviewer identified Tinubu as that candidate, Otti rejected the suggestion. "No, that's not what I said," he said. Asked whether he was referring to a Labour Party candidate, he replied, "Yes." Pressed further on whether he was supporting Tinubu, Otti responded, "What do you expect me to say? To say I'm not supporting him?"
At the heart of Otti's explanation is a theory of governance that rejects the idea of an elected official publicly opposing the President while remaining part of the machinery of government. "Sometimes people don't understand opposition. When you say opposition, and you are part of a government, then what you are driving towards is implosion," he said. He said that when he has a problem with any policy, he raises it during official meetings rather than airing it in public. "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."
Otti also said several federal policies aligned with his own economic thinking, citing the removal of the petrol subsidy as an example. "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. People don't have to agree with me, but from where I sit, I know that for instance, the fuel subsidy was even unsustainable," he said. His position on subsidy is consistent with his record as a former bank executive who has consistently argued for fiscal discipline, and it places him at odds with those in the Labour Party and the broader opposition who have criticised the subsidy removal for deepening hardship.
The governor's remarks come amid growing scrutiny of his relationship with the ruling party and his political future as the 2027 elections approach. Otti was elected governor of Abia State in 2023 on the platform of the Labour Party, ending the PDP's long hold on the state and becoming one of the party's most prominent elected officials. His victory was part of the broader wave of Labour Party support that delivered significant gains for the party in the South-East and other parts of the country, and his administration has since been watched closely as a test of whether the party can translate electoral success into effective governance.
The political configuration of the Labour Party has shifted considerably over the past year. In May 2026, Peter Obi and Rabiu Kwankwaso joined the Nigeria Democratic Congress, leaving the Labour Party without its most recognisable national figures. The Independent National Electoral Commission's published list of presidential candidates identifies Sunday Chibuzo Okereke as the Labour Party's candidate for the 2027 presidential election. Otti's comments therefore distinguish between his acknowledgement of Tinubu's constitutional right to contest and his stated support for his own party's presidential candidate, a distinction that reflects the unusual position of a governor whose party is in opposition at the national level but whose administration cooperates with the Federal Government on policy matters.
The governor's position is not without political risk. Labour Party supporters who voted for him in 2023 may view his refusal to oppose Tinubu as a betrayal of the party's opposition status. The APC, for its part, has been actively courting endorsements from governors across party lines, and Otti's statement that he is not in a position to oppose the President will be read by some as a tacit endorsement of the ruling party's candidate. Otti sought to pre-empt such interpretations by insisting that his primary political allegiance remains with the Labour Party, but the distinction he has drawn between supporting the President's administration and supporting his re-election may prove difficult to sustain in the heat of the campaign.
The development comes amid a broader realignment of political forces ahead of the 2027 general elections, scheduled for January 16, with the governorship and state assembly elections following on February 6. President Tinubu is seeking a second term on the APC platform, while former Vice President Atiku Abubakar of the African Democratic Congress and Peter Obi of the Nigeria Democratic Congress are among the major challengers. Several governors have endorsed the President's re-election, including Chukwuma Soludo of Anambra State and Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State. Otti's decision to support Tinubu's presidency from within the Labour Party structure adds another layer of complexity to an already fragmented opposition landscape.
Reactions to Otti's remarks were not immediately available from the Labour Party national leadership or from the NDC, which now houses the party's former presidential candidate. Supporters of the governor have argued that his position reflects a pragmatic approach to governance, noting that cooperation with the Federal Government is necessary to attract investment and deliver development in Abia State. Critics have contended that his refusal to oppose Tinubu amounts to a surrender of the opposition's role in holding the government accountable. The coming months will determine whether Otti's approach strengthens or weakens his political standing in Abia and beyond, and whether his distinction between supporting the President's administration and supporting his re-election can withstand the polarising dynamics of the 2027 campaign.
For now, the governor has made his position clear: he is not in a position to oppose Tinubu, he prefers to raise policy disagreements within government meetings rather than publicly, and his political allegiance remains with the Labour Party and its presidential candidate. As he put it, when you are part of a government and you claim to be in opposition, what you are driving towards is implosion.
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