Otti made the clarification on Friday while receiving the leadership of the Abia Diaspora Commission and the medical team of the state’s Global Medical Mission 2025 at the Government House in Umuahia.
The Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, has said that his visit to the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, was motivated by the need for peace and dialogue, and not by any political ambition.
Otti made the clarification on Friday while receiving the leadership of the Abia Diaspora Commission and the medical team of the state’s Global Medical Mission 2025 at the Government House in Umuahia.
In response to a trending video where the governor was criticised for visiting Kanu in Sokoto for political showing, Otti stressed that his action was driven purely by the desire to foster dialogue and promote peace, adding that differing opinions were a natural part of democracy.
“One of the issues (a man) raised in the video was my ambition after serving as governor.
“I have said this before, sometime in October, when we received representatives of the President, and I will say it again today. By the time I complete my tenure as governor, I will retire from public office,” he said.
The governor maintained that peace and stability remained critical to the development of Abia State and the South-East region, insisting that dialogue remained a necessary tool for resolving lingering issues.
On November 30, SaharaReporters reported that governor of Abia State, Dr. Alex Otti, accompanied by officials from the Sokoto State government, visited Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), at the Sokoto Correctional Centre.
Footage obtained by SaharaReporters shows a heavy security presence surrounding the prison facility during the visit.
On November 21, 2025, Kanu was convicted by the Federal High Court in Abuja on terrorism-related charges and sentenced to life imprisonment.
Within hours, he was transferred from the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS) in Abuja to the Sokoto Correctional Facility, a move that has generated controversy and concern.
Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court, Abuja, delivered judgment in the long-running case against Kanu. The court found him guilty on seven terrorism-related counts brought by the Federal Government.
Kanu was sentenced to life imprisonment on four of the counts (1, 4, 5, and 6).
He also received 20 years and 5 years imprisonment on two other counts (3 and 7).
The ruling concluded that the prosecution had successfully proven its case against him.
Hours after the conviction, Kanu was moved from DSS custody in Abuja to the Sokoto Correctional Facility. Kanu’s lawyer, Aloy Ejimakor, condemned the transfer, describing it as an attempt to isolate Kanu from his family, legal team, and supporters.