Governor Otti Says Meeting With Tinubu Was About Nnamdi Kanu, Not Politics

Governor Alex Otti of Abia State has cleared the air on his recent visit to President Bola Tinubu, saying it had nothing to do with joining the All Progressives Congress (APC). Instead, he said the meeting was focused on the case of Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).

Otti gave this explanation through his media aide, Ferdinand Ekeoma, in response to claims made by Charles Ogbonnaya, a former commissioner in Abia State. Ogbonnaya had said the governor met with Tinubu to talk about switching to the APC ahead of the 2027 elections.

Ekeoma explained that Otti had visited Kanu at the Sokoto Correctional Centre on Sunday, November 30, 2025, before heading to Aso Rock to meet the President.

“The governor subsequently had a meeting with the President after visiting the IPOB leader at the Sokoto Correctional Centre on Sunday, November 30, 2025.

“This is in continuation of earlier meetings the governor had been having with the FG on this matter in the past two years.

“The issue of Kanu was the only subject matter that took Governor Otti to Aso Rock and to the glory of God, the meeting was both positive and fruitful, as the President was so gracious and generous,” he said.

Otti’s visit to Kanu came shortly after the IPOB leader was sentenced to life in prison by Justice James Omotosho of the Abuja Federal High Court. The governor has reportedly been involved in talks with the federal government over Kanu’s case for the past two years.