Abia State Governor Alex Otti has said presidential candidates Peter Obi and Atiku Abubakar, as well as other politicians, are free to campaign in the state ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Otti made the statement during an interview with Arise Television aired on Friday, while responding to questions about his relationship with Obi, the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential candidate.
“Absolutely, anybody that wants to campaign in my state is allowed. Peter Obi and I are not fighting, there is nobody that I’m fighting, so if he wants to campaign in my state he would be allowed,” Otti said.
He added: “Any other person even Atiku if he wants to campaign he would be allowed because that is what democracy is all about.”
The comments come amid reports of restrictions surrounding some political activities involving Obi in other states, including a recent incident in Benue where he was reportedly prevented from entering Makurdi for a meeting with NDC stakeholders.
Otti also addressed his position ahead of the 2027 presidential election, distinguishing his support for President Bola Tinubu in his capacity as a sitting governor from his stated support for the Labour Party’s presidential candidate.
“For the 2027 election, I had said that I have a presidential candidate,” Otti said in the Arise interview.
He maintained that Tinubu has the constitutional right to contest the election and said he was not in a position to oppose the President.
“He has the right to run and nobody can stop him. But I’m in the Labour Party and for now, he has my support,” he said.
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Otti’s comments come as the Labour Party campaigns for its 2027 candidates in Abia. The party’s presidential candidate, Dr Sunday Chibuzo Okereke, recently led a solidarity roadshow in the state and called for support for Otti and other Labour Party candidates.
Otti was elected governor of Abia State on the Labour Party platform in 2023 and remains a prominent figure within the party. The Labour Party formally affirmed him as its national leader in January 2026 following Obi’s departure from the party.
The governor’s latest comments indicate that, regardless of political affiliations or presidential preferences, he intends to allow political candidates to conduct campaign activities in Abia.
