Abia State Governor, Dr Alex Otti, has reiterated that he will retire from active politics at the end of his tenure as Governor, stressing that he harbours no ambition to contest the Presidency, Vice-presidency or any Senatorial seat.
Governor Otti stated this on Friday at the Government House, Umuahia, while reacting to a viral video in which a commentator criticised his recent visit to Sokoto to see the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu and alleged that the Governor was nursing presidential or vice-presidential ambitions after leaving office.
The Governor acknowledged that criticism is an integral part of democracy, noting that while everyone is entitled to an opinion, holding a different view does not necessarily make one right.
“In the first place, that is the beauty of democracy. So people should hold their opinion, and we respect people’s opinion. And that you hold a different opinion doesn’t mean you are right.
“One of the things he talked about was my ambition after being Governor. And I had said it before, and I want to say it again, that by the time I’m done with Governorship, I will retire.
“So I don’t have presidential ambition, nor vice-presidential ambition. I also don’t have senatorial ambition.
Governor Otti said his entry into politics was driven by a clear sense of purpose, adding that leadership demands knowing when to step aside.
“I came for a mission. And when I deliver that mission, I will give way to younger people. So he was talking of Igbo presidency. I don’t even understand what that means.
“I think if his thesis is based on that assumption, the assumption has collapsed, because he won’t see me on the ballot”, the Governor said.
He further noted that it was important for public office holders to recognise when to exit the political stage, especially after fulfilling their mandate.
“When you have done what you have been asked to do, you clear, give way for other people. We’ve seen people here, after being governor, who went to the Local Government Chairman. That’s not what we are. We are not cut out for those kind of things”, he said.
Explaining his visit to Mazi Nnamdi Kanu in Sokoto, Governor Otti said the engagement was part of ongoing efforts to find a peaceful resolution to the issue, adding that he deliberately avoided putting sensitive details in the public domain.
“The second point is about Nnamdi Kanu. And I don’t want to put this matter in the public space so that it doesn’t jeopardise the discussions that I’m having.
“The truth about it is that exactly 24 months ago, I opened up discussions at the highest level on Nnamdi Kanu and going to see him is the right thing to do, because he comes from my state. In fact, he comes from this local government (Umuahia North – the state capital)”.
The Governor recalled that he had previously written extensively to condemn the handling of security operations linked to the matter.
“There are always ways to solve a problem. I don’t believe that the way to solve a problem is to ignore it. I had written extensively, even about Nnamdi Kanu and Operation Python Dance, I think in 2017 or 2018. And I condemned it.
“And I still condemn it. And some of the recordings that the gentleman put in his video, I cannot vouch for the veracity of that recording”.
Governor Otti also drew a distinction between legal and administrative approaches to conflict resolution, stressing that his intervention was not an attack on the judiciary.
“I’m not a lawyer. And if the judiciary says the man has been condemned to life imprisonment, that is the judiciary. Even that is not the end, because that’s the court of first instance. There is still an opportunity to appeal, and then an opportunity to even go to the Supreme Court.
“But what we are trying to do is to intervene. I am not a supporter of the disintegration of Nigeria so my position is that it would be insensitive of me to sit here and say one of our own who has been convicted should die when we have an opportunity to discuss, negotiate, and sue for peace. So that is my position”, the Governor explained.
