Otti: Why I visited Nnamdi Kanu in Sokoto prison

Abia State Governor Alex Otti says his visit to the leader of the Proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, in Sokoto Correctional Centre was not driven by political ambition.

Otti made this known during a meeting with the leadership of the Abia Diaspora Commission and the medical team of the Abia Global Medical Mission 2025 at the Government House in Umuahia, the state capital, on Friday, December 19, 2025.

He was reacting to a video circulating on social media, where a man was criticising his visit to Kanu.

The governor defended his visit to the IPOB leader, saying the trip was driven by the need for dialogue and peace.

Otti said the video represented differing opinions, which formed part of the democratic system, staing that disagreement did not automatically make one position right.

Otti added that he had no intention of contesting any election after completing his tenure as governor.

He said: “One of the issues he raised in the video was my ambition after serving as governor.

“I have said this before, sometime in October, when we received representatives of the president, and I will say it again today (Friday).

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“By the time I complete my tenure as governor, I will retire from public office.

“I have no presidential ambition, no vice presidential ambition, and no senatorial ambition.

“I came into this office on a mission, and when I deliver that mission, I will step aside and give room to younger people.

Otti dismissed speculation linking his actions to an “Igbo presidency,” describing such insinuations as unfounded and based on false assumptions.

The governor added that he initiated discussions at the highest level about the IPOB leader’s situation two years ago, saying: “I do not want to put too much into the public space so as not to jeopardise ongoing discussions.

“The truth is that exactly 24 months ago, I initiated discussions at the highest level regarding Nnamdi Kanu, so visiting him was the right thing to do because he is from my state and indeed, from Umuahia North Local Government Area.”

The Star