Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, has said he will neither become a political godfather nor impose a successor on the state after completing his second term in office in 2031.
Otti made the declaration on Thursday in Umuahia while receiving the former Social Democratic Party, SDP, governorship candidate, Mrs Ngozi Johnson Chukwunenye, and her supporters into the Labour Party, LP.
According to the governor, leadership succession should be based on merit and competence rather than a “sit-tight” culture.
He expressed confidence that whoever succeeds him would be better equipped to provide quality leadership for the people of Abia State.
“The most important thing you can give a people is good governance.
“And once people test good governance, it will be very difficult for them to allow you to take them back.
“So, if you are afraid that we will go back to Egypt, it will never happen. What I can assure you is that, by the time I’m done, the person who will succeed me will be better than me.
“I don’t want to be a godfather, and I don’t tolerate godfathers.
“We will all sit down, look at everybody and say, ‘Who is the best person for this job?’ Then all of us will agree, and we will campaign for him.
“He will win, and we will take a back seat,” Otti said.
The governor also reaffirmed his earlier position that he would not seek any elective office after completing his second term.
“We should stop this sit-tight. It’s only you. It can’t be only you.
“There are smarter, more trained, better-trained, better-equipped younger people; our children. We need to give them the opportunity,” he added.
Otti disclosed that his administration was already grooming future leaders through initiatives such as the Abia Leadership Academy.
According to him, more than 1,080 young people between the ages of 16 and 25 recently graduated from the academy.
“You will see how smart our children are. So, these are the people that will take over from us.
“And they are being trained now for tomorrow, so we can never go back,” he said.
He noted that development could not be achieved overnight, adding that the government first focused on restoring Aba and Umuahia before extending projects to other parts of the state.
“We are now moving into the hinterlands, and we will continue until we reach everywhere, so nothing will stop us,” he said.
Abia: I don’t tolerate godfathers, won’t become one — Alex Otti