Alex Otti is set to formally meet with Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the coming days to perfect plans for his defection to the All Progressives Congress (APC), in what sources describe as a strategic realignment ahead of the 2027 governorship election.
Multiple party insiders have confirmed that this impending political move is the real reason behind the sudden postponement of the APC’s Ward, Local Government, and State Congresses in Abia State, which were earlier scheduled to commence today.
In a formal letter addressed to the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Amupitan, jointly signed by the APC National Chairman, Prof. Nentawe Goshwe Yilwata, and the National Secretary, Senator Surajudeen Ajibola, the party officially notified the Commission of the suspension of the exercises until further notice, without fixing a new date.
The letter reads in part: “The All Progressives Congress (APC) hereby formally notifies the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of the suspension of the State, Ward and Local Government Congresses of the Party, earlier scheduled to hold pursuant to the approved timetable of activities, until further notice.
This decision was taken following ongoing consultations and the need to conclude certain preparatory and administrative processes to ensure the orderly, transparent, and credible conduct of the Congresses in the State.
The Party will communicate a revised schedule of activities to the Commission in due course, in compliance with the provisions of the Electoral Act 2022 and the Regulations and Guidelines for Political Parties, 2022.”
While the official explanation references “ongoing consultations” and “administrative processes,” party sources insist the postponement is anything but routine.
The political arithmetic is straightforward. Governor Otti, having reportedly settled on the APC as his platform for the 2027 re-election bid, must first take charge of the party structure in Abia before any congresses are concluded. Control of ward, local government, and state executives ultimately determines the direction of party primaries.
According to an Abuja-based APC bigwig, allowing congresses to proceed before Otti’s formal entry would risk entrenching a leadership structure potentially outside his influence. The postponement, therefore, creates a political window, enabling him to assume leadership of the party in the state before new executives emerge. No serious incumbent governor defects into a party without securing the machinery ahead of primaries. The APC National Working Committee (NWC), analysts argue, understands this calculus.
Otti’s entry into the APC would automatically remove the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, from his current leadership position within the party in Abia and could significantly frustrate his alleged 2027 governorship ambition.
For existing APC stakeholders in Abia, however, the development signals a potential reshuffling of hierarchy. Congresses determine who controls the delegates. Delegates determine who wins primaries. And primaries determine who flies the party’s flag.
In a related development, the APC also notified INEC of the postponement of congresses in Adamawa State, where Umaru Fintiri is widely rumoured to be considering a move to the ruling party.
The parallel postponements in both Abia and Adamawa have fueled speculation that the APC is strategically recalibrating its internal processes to accommodate incoming governors ahead of the 2027 electoral cycle.
With 2027 approaching, governors seeking second terms or political survival are carefully choosing platforms that align with federal power dynamics. For Otti, aligning with President Tinubu’s APC may provide both institutional backing and structural stability heading into the next election.
