Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, has clarified the reasons behind his recent visit to the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu, insisting that the move was guided by the need for dialogue and peace rather than political ambition.
Otti spoke on Friday at the Government House in Umuahia while receiving members of the Abia Diaspora Commission alongside the medical team for the state’s Global Medical Mission 2025.
The governor’s explanation followed the circulation of a video on social media in which a man criticised his visit to Kanu, who is currently serving a jail term in Sokoto. The video had sparked debate, with questions raised over the motive behind the governor’s action.
Addressing the criticism, Otti maintained that his decision to visit the detained IPOB leader was consistent with his belief in constructive engagement as a pathway to stability. He described the reactions to the visit as part of the broader democratic process, noting that differing opinions were inevitable in a plural society.
According to him, disagreement, no matter how strongly expressed, does not automatically confer correctness on any particular viewpoint.
The governor also used the opportunity to dismiss suggestions that the visit was linked to any future political aspiration. He stressed that he had no intention of contesting any election after completing his tenure as governor of Abia State.
“One of the issues raised in the video was my ambition after serving as governor,” Otti said. “I have said this before, sometime in October, when we received representatives of the President, and I will say it again today. By the time I complete my tenure as governor, I will retire from public office.”
