By Livinus Agwu Obinna, Political Analyst
Alex Otti, Governor of Abia State, must answer a simple question: Who is he supporting for president?
Is it Peter Obi, whose political movement helped create the wave that swept the Labour Party to national prominence in 2023? Or Bola Tinubu, whose administration controls the Federal Government? Or another candidate? What is Alex Otti afraid to make a bold stand on his preferred presidential candidate?
Otti’s refusal to give a clear answer raises an uncomfortable suspicion: is he exercising political independence, or practising the oldest trick in Nigerian politics, showing one face to the people who helped him win and another to those who hold power?
This is the Two-faced politics Nigerians are tired of: one face for the movement that delivers electoral support, another for the establishment that controls political access and patronage.
Otti may reject that characterisation, but prolonged ambiguity makes it harder to dismiss.
One Movement, Two Political Realities
Otti did not emerge as governor in a political vacuum. His personal appeal and campaign efforts mattered, but Peter Obi’s 2023 movement helped transform the Labour Party into a formidable electoral force. Across the South East, voters rallied around a promise of political renewal and a departure from the established order. Otti benefited from that political atmosphere.
He is entitled to his mandate, but he cannot reasonably expect the political context of his victory to be forgotten whenever questions about his allegiance become uncomfortable. Nobody is demanding that he worship Obi or surrender his independence. The question is simpler: if Otti has decided that another presidential candidate deserves his support, why can he not openly explain that decision?
If Obi remains his preferred candidate, why the hesitation? If Tinubu is his choice, why not defend it? If he prefers another candidate, why not make the case? A politician confident in his convictions should be able to answer these questions without hiding behind diplomatic ambiguity.
The Politics of Having It Both Ways
The apparent attraction of Otti’s position is obvious. Remaining publicly noncommittal allows him to avoid alienating Obi’s supporters while maintaining political flexibility in his dealings with Tinubu’s administration. That may appear clever in the short term. In the long term, it risks looking like political double-dealing.
A governor can maintain cordial relations with the president while supporting an opposition candidate. He can protect Abia’s interests without pretending that governance requires him to suspend his political convictions. Federal cooperation and presidential endorsement are two different things. Therefore, if Otti is withholding his preference to protect Abia’s interests, he should explain precisely how declaring a candidate would undermine those interests. Otherwise, the justification begins to look suspiciously convenient.
You cannot claim the political benefits of a movement when it suits you, then retreat into convenient neutrality when that movement expects clarity. That is the contradiction Otti must address.
Indecision Is Not Statesmanship
There is a difference between a leader who carefully evaluates his options and one who refuses to take a position because he fears the consequences.
The first demonstrates judgement. The second risks appearing politically timid.
Indecision has consequences. It erodes trust, invites speculation, weakens political credibility and leaves supporters wondering whether their leader’s convictions are genuine or merely convenient.
Worse, a politician who tries to satisfy competing political camps may eventually convince both that he cannot be trusted. Obi’s supporters may question his loyalty to the movement that helped energise his electoral fortunes. Others may wonder whether his silence reflects genuine neutrality or an undisclosed political calculation.
These are risks, not proof of Otti’s intentions, but they are risks his continued ambiguity invites.
What Do His Appointees’ Political Activities Mean?
If reports that serving members of Otti’s administration have allegedly joined Tinubu’s Presidential Campaign Council are accurate, the governor should clarify whether their participation reflects their personal choices or a broader political understanding within his administration. Their activities do not automatically establish Otti’s endorsement of Tinubu. Nevertheless, the public deserves a clear explanation of the apparent contradiction between such political activities and the governor’s own silence.
If his appointees are acting independently, he should say so. If he shares their political preference, he should have the courage to acknowledge it. What is unacceptable is allowing the public to speculate indefinitely while offering no clear account of where he stands.
What Alex Otti Owes Abians
Alex Otti owes Peter Obi no blind loyalty. But he owes the public honesty about his political choices. If his political convictions have changed, he should explain why. If he believes Tinubu offers Nigeria a better future, he should defend that position. If he supports Obi, he should say so. If he remains undecided, he should admit it. What he cannot reasonably expect is to enjoy the political goodwill associated with Obi’s movement while treating the question of his presidential allegiance as an inconvenience beneath his attention.
The problem is not that Otti might support a candidate other than Obi. It is that his prolonged ambiguity risks creating the impression that he wants to preserve the benefits of competing political relationships without accepting the cost of choosing between them. That is the essence of the Two-faced charge: one face turned towards the movement that helped open the door to power, another towards the establishment with which he must negotiate.
Whether that description accurately reflects his intentions is for Otti to disprove through clarity and consistent conduct. A politician cannot indefinitely face both directions and still expect everyone to believe he knows where he is going.
Otti must choose his path, explain his reasons and accept the consequences. Anything less risks turning political independence into an excuse for indecision and pragmatism into a convenient cover for political double-dealing. Nigeria has had enough of politicians who speak the language of change when seeking power and become mysteriously ambiguous when asked to demonstrate where their convictions stand.
Alex Otti should tell the people of Abia State where he stands. The people who helped bring him to power deserve clarity, not political hide-and-seek.
Livinus Agwu Obinna writes from Umuahia and can be reached via [email protected]
Editor’s Note: The views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the position or editorial stance of Polity Nigeria.
