The Abia State government has explained that Governor Alex Otti’s meeting with President Bola Tinubu on Tuesday was solely focused on issues concerning the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, “Nnamdi Kanu.”
According to a statement released on Thursday by the Governor’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ferdinand Ekeoma, the clarification became necessary following allegations by a former Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Charles Ogbonnaya, who claimed the visit was linked to possible plans for Otti to defect to the All Progressives Congress ahead of the 2027 elections.
Ekeoma said the governor’s discussion with the President was a continuation of long-standing efforts to secure “Kanu’s release” and had no connection to political negotiations or alignments.
He noted that Otti met with President Tinubu after visiting the IPOB leader at the Sokoto Correctional Centre on Sunday, November 30, 2025, highlighting that this was part of ongoing engagements with the Federal Government over the past two years.
Ekeoma added that addressing Ogbonnaya’s claims was important because the matter of “Nnamdi Kanu’s release” remains sensitive and central to the concerns of the Abia State government. He said Ogbonnaya’s persistent criticism of the governor stemmed from unresolved political grievances dating back to Otti’s departure from his party during the 2023 general elections.
Channels Television earlier reported that Governor Otti visited the President at the State House on Tuesday evening. The governor had also recently visited “Kanu” in prison, accompanied by Emmanuel Kanu, the Abia State Attorney-General Ikechukwu Uwanna (SAN), and his Special Adviser, Ferdinand Ekeoma.
Governor Otti reaffirmed his commitment to pursuing every legitimate means to secure “Kanu’s” freedom.