Alex Otti, the governor of Abia State, has said that he will leave politics after his term is up and that younger Nigerians should be given the opportunity to assume leadership roles.
Speaking about the significance of excellent governance, Otti stated that individuals who have experienced great leadership will oppose any effort to return them to subpar governance.
“Once I finish this one, I will retire. Why do I say so? I want the young people to take over,” Otti said on Thursday in Umuahia, the state capital.
“The most important thing you can give a people is good governance.”
The Abia governor also said he had no intention of becoming a political godfather, declaring that he did not tolerate godfathers.
“I don’t want to be a godfather. And I don’t tolerate godfathers,” he said.
He added that once citizens experienced good governance, they would be unwilling to return to what he described as the old order.
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“So, if you are afraid that we will go back to Egypt, it will never happen. We will all sit down, look at everybody and say, who is the best person for this job? And all of us will agree, and we will campaign for him; he will win. We will take a back seat,” Otti said.
The governor also ruled out seeking a seat in the Senate after his tenure, saying he had no interest in continuing his political career.
“I keep saying it, I’m not interested in anything else. I don’t even want to go to the Senate. I’m not interested,” he said.
According to Otti, his decision is driven by his desire to see younger people assume leadership positions.
He called for an end to what he described as the practice of political leaders remaining in power indefinitely, arguing that younger people were better equipped to contribute to governance.
“We should stop this sit-tight; it’s only you. Not only you, it also can’t be only you. There are smarter, more trained, better trained, better equipped younger people. Our children, we need to give them opportunities,” Otti said.
