The Special Adviser to Abia State Governor Alex Otti on Media and Publicity, Ferdinand Ekeoma, has clarified that the governor’s recent visit to President Bola Tinubu had nothing to do with politics or plans to defect to the APC. Instead, he said, the meeting focused solely on efforts to secure the release of the detained IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu.
Ekeoma stated this on Thursday while responding to allegations made by a former Abia Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Charles Ogbonnaya. Ogbonnaya had claimed that Otti met with the President to discuss joining the APC ahead of the 2027 elections.
According to Ekeoma, the governor’s visit followed his meeting with Kanu at the Sokoto Correctional Centre on Sunday, November 30, 2025, continuing discussions he has been having with the Federal Government over the past two years.
He said, “The issue of Kanu was the only reason Governor Otti visited Aso Rock. Thankfully, the meeting with the President was positive, and the President was very gracious.”
He explained that clearing the air became necessary because the matter of Kanu’s release is extremely sensitive and important to Abia people, and should not be trivialised with political insinuations.
Ekeoma accused Ogbonnaya of repeatedly attacking the governor due to Otti’s departure from his party during the 2023 elections. He challenged the ex-commissioner to name anyone Otti allegedly betrayed.
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He added, “The claim that the governor went to lobby for APC membership is petty and laughable. Any party would gladly welcome him today. Many APC leaders are already appealing to him because they know he is not a liability.”
Ekeoma also described Ogbonnaya’s criticisms as contradictory, noting that the former commissioner accused Otti of playing politics with Kanu’s case while simultaneously attacking him for engaging the Federal Government to secure Kanu’s freedom.
He concluded that none of Ogbonnaya’s allegations holds water, especially considering Otti’s electoral victories in Ogbonnaya’s own polling unit, ward, and local government.
