Abia State Governor Dr Alex Otti has completely distanced himself from the five South East governors that Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma claimed have resolved to support the re-election of President Bola Tinubu.
Recall that Governor Hope Uzodimma, in a recent media comment, said that the five South East governors have all resolved to support President Bola Tinubu’s re-election as a mark of appreciation for all his good works in the region.
Otti made the remarks while answering questions on Uzodimma’s comment from a TVC journalist during a media chat in Umuahia and stressed that no individual governor has the mandate to speak for the entire South-East governors in any political position, stressing that his own position differs, as he has his own candidate that is not President Bola Tinubu.
Governor Otti went on to distance himself from the purported Tinubu endorsement pronounced by Governor Uzodinma, insisting that the Imo State governor expressed only his personal opinion and cannot speak on his behalf.
Otti added that he is not against President Bola Tinubu running for his second tenure, but he cannot leave the presidential candidate of his own party, the Labour Party, to begin to support Uzodimma’s party’s candidate, who’s the incumbent president.
“You said the Imo State Governor said something. Well, I’m not sure I’ve heard that from him. If he said that, it is his right to say it as a governor and as an individual. He can’t speak for everybody.
“I’m sure that at the appropriate time, people will take their decision. I think it’s still early days. Am I against the president running for a second term? Absolutely no. It’s the people that will determine what will happen.
“He has the right to run. It’ll be decided by the ballot. It’s you and I who’ll decide what will happen, including here in the state. Sometimes people don’t understand how democracy works.
“Some people have bought a form to run for governor, but you cannot stop them. I don’t want to be part of those who said somebody should not run.
“My party is the Labour Party, and the Labour Party has its own presidential and vice presidential candidate. So, we’ll support our candidate, but that doesn’t mean we’ll go and pick a quarrel with everybody.”
