By Myke Agunwa
Abia State Governor, Dr. Alex Otti, has warned politicians plotting to rig the 2027 elections to prepare their wills before attempting any form of electoral malpractice, declaring that the will of God and the people would determine the state’s political future.
Otti issued the warning during the October edition of the “Alex Otti Speaks to Abians” held at the Government House, Umuahia, as captured in a video shared on Channels Television’s YouTube page.
The governor, reacting to comments credited to the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Benjamin Kalu, who reportedly boasted that the All Progressives Congress (APC) would take over Abia in 2027, said those who believe they can manipulate the process should think twice.
“I have heard that some people around him say, oh, they must take over this state, they must write results. But the only advice I have for them is that if they truly want to write results, they should write something else before that time. You know what it is? Their will,” Otti stated pointedly.
He maintained that his administration’s emergence in 2023 was a product of divine will and the people’s collective determination to reclaim the state from years of maladministration and political manipulation.
Recall that Otti’s 2023 victory marked a watershed in Abia State’s political history, ending over two decades of the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) dominance. Running on the platform of the Labour Party, Otti won a fiercely contested election that many observers described as one of the most closely monitored polls in the South-East.
However, the post-election period was not without controversy. There were intense efforts by political forces loyal to the then-ruling PDP to influence the outcome in their favour. Reports at the time indicated that pressures were mounted on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) officials, particularly the Returning Officer, Prof. Nnenna Otti, to manipulate figures during the collation process.
Prof. Otti, the Vice Chancellor of the Federal University of Technology, Owerri (FUTO), later disclosed that she came under severe pressure to compromise the results but resisted all attempts to subvert the people’s will.
Speaking shortly after the election, she revealed that she “stood her ground to do the right thing” despite inducements and threats. “The people’s mandate must stand,” she declared, earning national and international commendation for her courage and integrity.