Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, has said he will not impose a successor on the state when he leaves office after completing his second tenure in 2031.Otti made the statement on Thursday in Umuahia while receiving former Social Democratic Party (SDP) governorship candidate, Ngozi Johnson-Chukwunenye, and her supporters into the Labour Party (LP).
The governor said the process of selecting his successor should focus on identifying the most suitable person to lead the state rather than creating a system in which political leaders attempt to remain in control through preferred successors.
According to Otti, he does not intend to become a political godfather and would not tolerate godfatherism in the state’s political leadership.
“The most important thing you can give a people is good governance,” the governor said, adding that people who experience good governance would be reluctant to return to what he described as a previous system.
Otti said that when the time comes, stakeholders would assess potential candidates and determine who was best suited for the responsibility.
“We will all sit down, look at everybody and say, who is the best person for this job and then all of us will agree and we will campaign for him,” he said.
The governor also reiterated that he does not intend to seek another elective position after completing his second tenure. He said leadership should not be concentrated permanently in the hands of one individual and argued that younger people should be given opportunities to take on greater responsibilities.
“There are smarter, more trained, better-trained, better-equipped younger people; our children. We need to give them opportunity,” Otti said.
He pointed to the Abia Leadership Academy as part of efforts to prepare young people for future leadership responsibilities. According to the governor, more than 1,080 young people between the ages of 16 and 25 had recently graduated from the academy.
Otti said the administration’s broader objective was to establish a foundation that would allow capable younger people to emerge as leaders in the future.
He also spoke about his administration’s development efforts across the state, saying work that initially focused on restoring Aba and Umuahia was now extending into other parts of Abia.“We are now moving into the hinterlands, and we will continue until we reach everywhere,” he said.
The governor’s comments come as political parties and potential candidates begin positioning themselves ahead of Nigeria’s 2027 elections, although the 2031 governorship contest in Abia is still several years away.
During the event, Johnson-Chukwunenye explained her decision to join the Labour Party and support Otti’s second-term bid. She said she had followed the administration’s activities and was convinced by its efforts in areas including infrastructure and services.
She also called for legislation that would encourage continuity and completion of projects across successive administrations.Otti thanked Johnson-Chukwunenye for joining the party and for showing concern for vulnerable people, including pupils at the School for the Blind.
The governor’s comments place leadership succession and the development of younger leaders among the issues he says will shape Abia’s political future after his tenure ends in 2031.
Source: Premium Times
