Alex Otti Warns Alleged Plotters of 2027 Election Rigging in Abia: “Write Your Will First”

Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, has issued a stern warning to those allegedly scheming to rig the 2027 governorship election in the state, urging them to “write their will” before attempting to subvert the people’s mandate.

Speaking on Thursday during his monthly media chat at the Government House in Umuahia, Otti said he had received reports that some political actors were already meeting and plotting to “take over the state” through unlawful means ahead of the next polls.

“I’ve heard that some people around him said if they must take over the state, they will write result,” Otti revealed. “The only advice I have for them is that if they truly want to write result, they should write something else before that time — you know what it is? Their will. Because this is our state, nobody can intimidate us.”

The governor also cautioned politicians and their supporters against engaging in premature campaigns, stressing that such actions violate electoral laws.

“We must respect the law,” Otti said. “If INEC releases the timetable and says this is the time that campaign starts, and you begin campaigning before then, you put yourself in harm’s way — you can even be disqualified before the election.”

According to him, any political gathering or public declaration of intent before the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) officially opens campaign season constitutes early campaigning.

“When you gather people and start saying you’ll take over the state in 2027, you’re already campaigning. It is not right,” he added.

Otti, who was elected under the Labour Party in 2023, reaffirmed that the people of Abia will freely choose their next leader through the ballot box.

“If he wants to run an election, once INEC blows the whistle, he should go and pick up a form and begin to campaign. It’s for Abia people to decide who would be their governor,” Otti stated.

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