Governor Alex Otti of Abia has rejected any suggestion that the South-East has endorsed President Bola Tinubu for a second term, saying Governor Hope Uzodinma of Imo spoke only for himself.
Otti was reacting to Uzodinma’s recent declaration of support for Tinubu’s re-election bid ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
The Abia governor said no individual governor has the authority to commit the entire South-East to a political position, stressing that the choice of who to elect ultimately rests with the electorate.
“As a governor and as an individual, you can’t speak for everybody,” Otti said.
He said Uzodinma, like any other politician, has the right to express his support for Tinubu, but such a position should not be interpreted as the collective decision of the region’s governors or its people.
“I’m sure there are appropriate people who will take that decision,” he added, in an apparent reference to the electorate that will determine the outcome of the 2027 presidential election.
Otti also distinguished between supporting government policies and endorsing a political candidate, saying cooperation between different levels of government should not be construed as a blanket political endorsement.
“This is a government, and a government sees all the work from the national to the sub-nationals, to the corporates. There are a lot of policies that are supported,” he said.
His comments come amid growing political manoeuvring ahead of the 2027 elections, with Uzodinma’s endorsement of Tinubu reigniting debate over the political direction of the South-East and whether any individual leader can claim to speak for the region.
