Abia State Governor Alex Otti has said he will not act as a political godfather or install a successor, stating that the state's voters will decide who takes over from him. According to Punch Newspapers, the governor made the remark on Thursday, 17 September 2026.
Otti said he does not tolerate godfathers and therefore will not become one himself, Punch Newspapers reports. In comments carried by Daily Post Nigeria, he added that leadership in the state now belongs to young Abians rather than to political godfathers.
The governor also ruled out a bid for the Senate and said he intends to leave politics in 2031, according to The Whistler Newspaper.
The remarks come amid political positioning ahead of 2027. Premium Times Nigeria reports that Rivers State's former governor, Nyesom Wike, claimed Otti is backing President Bola Tinubu, while the Abia State government said confirmation on that matter would come at the appropriate time.
Otti's comments touch on a long-running theme in Nigerian politics, where sitting governors have often been accused of grooming successors and acting as godfathers in their states. By publicly rejecting that role, he has placed the choice of Abia's next governor with the electorate.
What to watch next is whether Otti's stance holds as the 2027 election cycle gathers pace, and whether the Abia State government clarifies its position on the claim about his support for Tinubu.