NDC Challenges Otti Over Tinubu Support, Urges Him to Back Obi
The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) has criticised Abia State Governor Alex Otti over his support for President Bola Tinubu, arguing that the governor should instead support Peter Obi ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
The NDC Director of New Media and Strategic Communications, Theo Abu Agada, made the position known on Saturday in a post on X, questioning Otti’s political direction ahead of the next general election.
Agada argued that Otti was one of the major beneficiaries of the political momentum generated by Obi and the Labour Party during the 2023 elections.
“If we are being honest, Alex Otti should be at the forefront campaigning for and supporting the 2027 ambition of His Excellency, Mr Peter Obi under the NDC,” Agada wrote.
He said Otti benefited significantly from what he described as the “Peter Obi wave” in 2023 and questioned the governor’s decision to support Tinubu’s administration.
Agada further alleged that Otti’s support for Tinubu’s policies amounted to an endorsement of the President’s bid for another term in office.
The comments come amid renewed attention on Otti’s political position as the 2027 elections approach.
Otti has recently explained that his support for Tinubu is linked to his responsibilities as a state governor and member of the National Economic Council.
He has maintained that working with the Federal Government on matters affecting Abia does not necessarily determine his preferred candidate for the 2027 presidential election.
The governor’s position has attracted attention because of his political history with Obi.
In 2023, Obi contested the presidential election on the platform of the Labour Party, while Otti contested the Abia governorship election under the same party. Obi won Abia in the presidential election, while Otti went on to win the governorship poll.
Obi secured 327,095 votes in Abia in the presidential election, winning all 17 local government areas in the state. Otti later polled 175,467 votes in the governorship election to defeat his closest challenger, Okey Ahiwe of the Peoples Democratic Party, who recorded 88,529 votes.
The 2023 elections significantly altered the political landscape in Abia, where the Labour Party displaced the Peoples Democratic Party from the governorship.
Otti has since maintained a working relationship with the Tinubu administration, particularly on issues involving the Federal Government and the states.
In July 2026, the governor also rejected a claim that South-East governors had collectively agreed to support Tinubu’s re-election.
Otti said no governor had the authority to determine how the people of the region would vote and maintained that the Labour Party would field its own presidential candidate.
His comments have added another layer to the debate over his political direction ahead of 2027.
While Otti has distinguished his cooperation with Tinubu from his personal political choice, the NDC is demanding that he make his position clearer by openly supporting Obi.
The development comes as political realignments intensify ahead of the 2027 elections, with politicians and parties beginning to define their positions and alliances across the country.
For Otti, the issue now extends beyond his relationship with the Federal Government to questions about where his political allegiance will lie when Nigerians return to the polls in 2027.
