Former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo has thrown his weight behind Abia State Governor Alex Otti’s re-election bid, declaring the governor “a miracle worker” who deserves a second term. The endorsement came during the commissioning of the reconstructed 46.36km Umuahia-Uzuakoli-Akara-Alayi-Abiriba highway, a project Obasanjo described as evidence of exceptional leadership.
“Don’t change a winning horse,” Obasanjo told cheering crowds, recalling how the road was previously “hellish” to navigate. “When I was told this reconstructed road would get me from Umuahia to Abiriba in 35 minutes, I said this man called Alex Otti is a miracle worker.” The former president, who has become a frequent visitor to Abia, praised Otti for demonstrating that political party affiliation doesn’t determine governance quality.
Obasanjo positioned Otti’s achievements as a national lesson, stating: “This is proof that whatever bad situation we’re seeing today in Nigeria can be made good tomorrow with good leadership.” He urged Nigerians to prioritize competence over party loyalty, declaring: “What matters is the quality of the man, and the quality of Alex Otti is good quality.”
Governor Otti used the occasion to showcase his administration’s signature approach – delivering high-impact projects while breaking from past practices. “This commissioning ceremony testifies to our resolve to do things differently,” he said, emphasizing his government’s “zero tolerance for shoddy jobs or the kickback culture that enables them.” The renamed “Joe Irukwu Way” now provides safe 24-hour travel while boosting economic activities along the corridor.
The event attracted political heavyweights across party lines, including former Transport Minister Chibuike Amaechi and Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, signaling growing bipartisan recognition of Otti’s governance model.
As Otti continues executing projects like the three ongoing flyovers in Aba and the soon-to-commence Abia Industrial Innovation Park, his administration is crafting a compelling case for re-election – one that even opposition figures may find difficult to counter with performance-based arguments. The governor’s pledge to “eliminate barriers that stunted our people’s productivity for decades” is gradually becoming measurable reality across Abia.
