Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, has ruled out playing the role of a political godfather when he leaves office, saying he would not handpick or impose his successor on the people of the state.
Otti made his position known on Thursday in Umuahia during the defection of former SDP governorship candidate, Ngozi Johnson-Chukwunenye, and her supporters to the Labour Party.
The governor said the focus should be on finding a capable successor who can continue to provide effective leadership, rather than allowing political power to remain in the hands of one individual.
“The most important thing you can give a people is good governance.
“And once people test good governance, it will be very difficult for them to allow you to take them back.
“So, if you are afraid that we will go back to Egypt, it will never happen and what I can assure you is that, by the time I’m done, the person who will succeed me will be better than me.
“I don’t want to be a godfather and I don’t tolerate godfathers.
“We will all sit down, look at everybody and say, who is the best person for this job and then all of us will agree and we will campaign for him.
“He will win and we will take a back seat.”
Otti, who is expected to complete his second term in 2031, again stated that he had no intention of seeking another elective position afterwards.
He said his administration was deliberately investing in younger people to prepare them for future leadership, pointing to the Abia Leadership Academy as one of the initiatives supporting that objective.
According to him, more than 1,080 youths aged 16 to 25 had recently completed programmes at the academy.
“We should stop this sit-tight. It’s only you. It can’t be only you.
“There are smarter, more trained, better-trained, better-equipped younger people; our children. We need to give them opportunity,” he said.
The governor said his government would continue its development projects across Abia, noting that its interventions had moved beyond Aba and Umuahia into other parts of the state.
He also commended Johnson-Chukwunenye for joining the Labour Party and for her support for disadvantaged children, including students of the School for the Blind.
Meanwhile, LP leaders at the event urged members to strengthen grassroots mobilisation ahead of the 2027 elections.
Johnson-Chukwunenye said her decision to support Otti was based on her assessment of his administration’s efforts in improving infrastructure and restoring public facilities across the state.