Governor Alex Otti of Abia State clarified that his meeting with President Bola Tinubu was solely about Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), and not related to any planned defection to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The governor’s spokesperson, Ferdinand Ekeoma, issued the statement in response to claims by Charles Ogbonnaya, a former Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, who alleged that Otti’s visit to Tinubu was to discuss switching to the APC ahead of the 2027 elections.
“The governor met with the President following his visit to Nnamdi Kanu at the Sokoto Correctional Centre on Sunday, November 30, 2025,” Ekeoma explained.
“This visit was part of ongoing discussions the governor has been having with the Federal Government on this matter over the last two years.
“The focus of the meeting at Aso Rock was exclusively on Kanu, and thankfully, it was a positive and productive engagement. The President was very gracious and generous,” he added.
Otti recently visited Kanu in custody after the IPOB leader was sentenced to life imprisonment by Justice James Omotosho of the Abuja Federal High Court.
