The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) has criticised Governor Alex Otti of Abia Stateover his position on President Bola Tinubu’s 2027 re-election bid.
This was just as the party insisted that the Abia governor should instead be campaigning for the NDC presidential candidate, Peter Obi.
Theo Abu Agada, NDC Director of New Media and Strategic Communications, made the criticism on Saturday, arguing that Otti was one of the biggest beneficiaries of the political movement that propelled Obi’s 2023 presidential campaign.
Agada said Otti’s decision not to oppose Tinubu’s 2027 ambition was inconsistent with the political support he received from Obi and the Labour Party during the 2023 elections.
“If we are being honest, Alex Otti should be at the forefront campaigning for and supporting the 2027 ambition of His Excellency, Mr Peter Obi under the NDC,” Agada wrote on X.
“He was the biggest beneficiary of Obi’s wave in 2023. If for nothing else, he owes him.”
Agada also accused the Abia governor of indirectly supporting Tinubu’s second-term bid by backing some of the administration’s policies.
“By supporting Tinubu’s anti-people reforms, he is endorsing Tinubu for a second term. He is an enemy of the Nigerian people,” he added.
The criticism followed comments by Otti during an interview with ARISE News aired on Friday, where he said he would not oppose Tinubu’s decision to seek another term in office.
Otti said the President had a constitutional right to contest the 2027 election, adding that his refusal to oppose the bid should not be interpreted as an endorsement.
“I’m not in a position to oppose his candidacy,” Otti said.
The governor explained that as a member of the government and the National Economic Council, he preferred to raise disagreements within government meetings rather than publicly oppose the administration.
“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,” he stated.
When asked whether he supported Tinubu’s re-election, Otti drew a distinction between recognising the President’s constitutional right to contest and supporting his candidacy.
“Why would I support the president? For 2027 presidential election, I’ve said that I have a presidential candidate. The presidential candidate for Labour Party,” he said.
Otti also acknowledged that some of Tinubu’s policies aligned with his own position, citing the removal of fuel subsidy as an example.
“There are a lot of things that we have talked about now that he has implemented that resonates with me and my thinking,” he said.
“For instance, the fuel subsidy was even unsustainable. And if you want to reintroduce it, that’s fine. But then you need to also fund it.”
Otti and Obi contested the 2023 elections under the Labour Party platform, with Otti emerging as Abia governor while Obi finished third in the presidential election won by Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Obi has since moved to the NDC, where he is the party’s presidential candidate for the 2027 election, while Otti remains in the Labour Party to seek re-election.
