Otti tells Kalu: if you want to rig Abia election, write your will first

Governor Alex Otti of Abia State has issued a strong warning to politicians plotting to subvert the will of the people in the 2027 elections, declaring that anyone who intends to rig the polls should “write their will first.”

Otti made the statement during an interview on Friday, in an apparent response to the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Kalu, and other members of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who have been openly declaring plans to take over Abia from the Labour Party in 2027.

The governor condemned what he described as premature political campaigns and warned that such actions violate the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)’s guidelines.

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

He further advised those already boasting of taking over the state to wait until INEC officially declares the campaign season open.

“When you gather people and you are shouting that you are going to take over the state in 2027, you are campaigning, and it is not right. If he wants to run for election, he should wait until INEC blows the whistle, then go and pick up a form and campaign. It is for Abia people to decide who will be their governor,” he stated.

The governor also dismissed insinuations that some politicians were being encouraged to manipulate results in their favour, issuing a blunt warning to would-be riggers.

“I hear that some people are advising him to go and stay, that they will write results. The only advice I have for them is that if they truly want to write results, they should write something else before. You know what it is? Their will. Because this is our state, and nobody can intimidate us,” Otti declared.

He called on residents to remain calm and law-abiding, assuring that his administration will continue to safeguard the people’s mandate and uphold democratic principles in Abia.