Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, has said he will not seek to become a political godfather after leaving office, insisting that the people of the state will determine his successor when his tenure ends in 2031.
Otti made the declaration on Thursday at the Labour Party State Secretariat in Umuahia while receiving Dr Ngozika Gladys Johnson-Chukwunenye, the 2023 governorship candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), who formally joined the Labour Party.
The governor said he would not impose a successor, stressing that the choice would be based on the person considered most suitable for the position.
He said, “By the time I am done, the person that will succeed me will be better than me. I don’t want to be a godfather.
“We will all sit down, look at everybody and say, who is the best person for this job? And then all of us would agree. And we will campaign for him. He will win. We will take a back seat.”
Otti also disclosed that he had no plans to seek another elective office after completing his second tenure, including a possible bid for the Senate.
“I am not interested in any other thing. I don’t even want to go to Senate. I am not interested. Once I finish this one, I will retire,” he said.
According to the governor, his decision is influenced by his desire to create room for younger Nigerians to take leadership positions.
He called for an end to what he described as the “sit-tight syndrome,” saying younger people should be given opportunities to assume leadership and contribute to the development of the state and country.
Otti also recalled Johnson-Chukwunenye’s participation in the 2023 governorship election, describing her decision to contest as courageous, particularly as a woman seeking elective office.
Speaking earlier, Johnson-Chukwunenye explained that her decision to join the Labour Party followed her observation of what she described as developments recorded under the Otti administration.
She cited the payment of salary arrears, regular payment of workers’ salaries, attention to pensioners and road rehabilitation in Umuahia and Aba among the factors that influenced her decision.
The governor’s comments and Johnson-Chukwunenye’s move come amid political realignments in Abia ahead of the 2027 governorship election cycle.
