Otti: I Won’t Become Political Godfather After Leaving Office

Abia State Governor Alex Otti has said he will not become a political godfather or impose a successor on the state after completing his second term in 2031.

Otti spoke in Umuahia on Thursday while receiving former Social Democratic Party governorship candidate Ngozi Johnson-Chukwunenye and her supporters into the Labour Party.

The governor said he would prefer a successor to emerge based on merit and competence rather than what he described as a “sit-tight” approach to political leadership.

“I don’t want to be a godfather, and I don’t tolerate godfathers” Otti said, adding that political stakeholders should consider those capable of doing the job before supporting a candidate.

He also reiterated that he does not plan to seek another elective position after his second term, saying younger people should be given opportunities to take up leadership roles.

Otti Highlights Youth Leadership Programme

The governor said his administration was already preparing young people for future leadership through initiatives such as the Abia Leadership Academy.

According to him, more than 1,080 people aged between 16 and 25 had recently graduated from the academy.

Otti said the programme was intended to help prepare a new generation of leaders rather than encourage prolonged political control by individuals.

Meanwhile, he said his administration would continue extending its development projects beyond Aba and Umuahia into other parts of the state.

He said the government initially focused on the two major cities before moving into the hinterland with additional projects.

Otti: I Won’t Become Political Godfather After Leaving Office

2027: Tinubu May Mediate Wike-APC Governors Rift In France

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu may intervene in the growing disagreement between Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, and governors elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), as political activities intensify ahead of the 2027 general elections.

A senior presidential aide was quoted as saying that Tinubu could meet the concerned political actors while in France, where the President is currently on vacation. The aide said the intervention was likely to take place abroad before the end of the week.

The reported meeting has not been officially confirmed, and no formal truce has been announced between Wike and the APC governors.

The disagreement centres on Wike’s Rainbow Coalition, which he has been promoting in support of Tinubu’s re-election while maintaining that the platform is separate from the APC.

Wike, who remains a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) while serving as FCT minister, has said his support for Tinubu does not prevent the PDP from fielding candidates for governorship, National Assembly and State House of Assembly elections.

Through his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media, Lere Olayinka, Wike said he would mobilise support for Tinubu at the presidential level but had never promised that the PDP would withdraw from other electoral contests.

He has also maintained that he never approached the APC governors to join the Rainbow Coalition and that President Tinubu is aware of his political activities.

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Wike has cited the 2023 elections in states such as Imo, Abia, Enugu and Ebonyi to argue that voters can support different parties in presidential and state or legislative elections held on the same day.

The position has drawn opposition from the Progressive Governors’ Forum (PGF).

Its Chairman and Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodimma, said after a meeting of APC governors in Abuja that they would not support political arrangements capable of undermining the APC, Tinubu’s re-election or the party’s candidates.

APC leaders in the South-East have also rejected Wike’s Rainbow Coalition and criticised his comments about the Progressive Governors, urging party members to maintain support for APC candidates across the ballot.

The disagreement has attracted differing reactions within the ruling party.

Ima Niboro, a spokesperson for the APC Presidential Campaign Council, described the situation as a disagreement among political actors who broadly support Tinubu’s re-election but differ over how that support should operate alongside other electoral contests.

Niboro urged Wike and the APC governors to end the public exchanges and concentrate on grassroots mobilisation.

Other APC figures have also taken different positions. Former House Minority Leader Farouk Adamu-Aliyu warned against any attempt to weaken the APC, while Kano politician Abdulmumin Jibrin urged APC governors not to embarrass Wike, arguing that the FCT minister remains relevant to Tinubu’s re-election effort.

The issue has consequently become a matter of political coordination within the wider camp backing Tinubu for 2027.

For Wike, supporting Tinubu at the presidential level can coexist with the PDP contesting other elections. The APC governors have instead stressed the need to protect the party’s candidates and structures.

The reported France intervention is therefore being viewed as a possible effort by Tinubu to manage the competing interests before they affect broader preparations for the 2027 elections.

However, the available report does not establish that a specific peace meeting between Tinubu, Wike and the APC governors has been scheduled in France. It only indicates that the President could intervene while abroad.

The outcome of any such intervention remains uncertain, while Wike continues to support Tinubu’s re-election and the APC governors maintain their position on party candidates.

2027: Tinubu May Mediate Wike-APC Governors Rift In France

2027: Sowore Says He’d Rather Die Than Travel Abroad For Medical Treatment

Presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), Omoyele Sowore, has said he would not travel outside Nigeria for medical treatment if elected President in the 2027 presidential election, declaring that any illness he could not treat in the country should be left to fate.

Sowore made the statement during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today, where he discussed his views on healthcare, governance and the privileges associated with political office.

“Any sickness that I can’t treat in Nigeria when I become president should better kill me,” Sowore said.

The statement reflects Sowore’s campaign position on medical treatment and his argument that Nigeria’s political leaders should rely on and strengthen domestic institutions rather than depend on privileges such as medical treatment abroad.

Sowore has also proposed making healthcare a right under an AAC administration, arguing that access to quality medical services should not be restricted to people who can afford to travel abroad for treatment.

However, his pledge not to seek treatment abroad should be understood as a personal and political commitment rather than evidence that all forms of specialised medical treatment are currently available in Nigeria.

Beyond healthcare, Sowore has outlined a number of campaign proposals for the 2027 election. These include a proposed ₦500,000 monthly living minimum wage for Nigerian workers and a pledge to pursue 24-hour electricity if elected.

He has also proposed making education free and accessible at all levels, including a plan to remove public examination fees such as WAEC and NECO charges under his proposed administration. His education blueprint also includes student grants, improved school infrastructure, digital learning and reforms to tertiary and technical education.

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On housing, Sowore has proposed the construction of one million public mixed-income homes and reforms to tenancy regulations aimed at reducing the burden of large advance-rent payments on tenants. These are proposals contained in his campaign agenda and are not existing government programmes.

He has further proposed industrialisation, increased agricultural production and processing, infrastructure development and job creation as part of his economic programme.

On security, Sowore has proposed reforms to the security agencies, including improved welfare and compensation for personnel and greater use of drones and advanced intelligence technology in tackling insecurity.

He has separately outlined proposals to use artificial intelligence and blockchain technology in the fight against corruption and to increase transparency in public financial management. Under one of his proposals, AI would be used to monitor government transactions and identify suspected fraud and procurement irregularities, while blockchain would provide an immutable record of government transactions.

On political alliances ahead of the 2027 election, Sowore has maintained that the AAC is not part of the opposition coalition discussions and intends to contest on its own political platform.

He has described the AAC‘s programme as being focused on what he calls social and economic justice, equal rights and redistribution of political and economic power.

During the same Channels Television interview, Sowore also said an administration led by him would not establish an official Office of the First Lady.

That position is also a stated Sowore policy position, rather than an existing change to Nigeria’s constitutional structure. He argued that the Nigerian Constitution does not create an official Office of the First Lady and said his wife would not occupy a government office simply because he became President.

“There is no office of First Lady in the Nigerian Constitution. Becoming the president will not abolish my marriage, but I will not have the office of First Lady,” he said.

Sowore said women would continue to have a voice in his administration but questioned the use of public funds to maintain an office he considers unconstitutional.

His comments on medical treatment abroad, therefore, form part of a wider set of campaign positions through which the AAC candidate is presenting his proposed approach to healthcare, public services, economic policy and governance ahead of the 2027 presidential election.

The various measures he has announced — including the ₦500,000 living minimum wage, 24-hour electricity, free education, one million homes, healthcare reform, industrialisation, security reforms and technology-driven anti-corruption measures — are proposals that he says an AAC administration would pursue if elected. They should not be presented as already implemented policies or guaranteed outcomes.

His pledge to remain in Nigeria for medical treatment if elected President similarly represents his stated campaign position and his argument that Nigeria should develop sufficient healthcare capacity to serve citizens, including those occupying the highest political offices.

2027: Sowore Says He’d Rather Die Than Travel Abroad For Medical Treatment