Abia ALGON Passes Vote of Confidence in Otti, Backs His Reelection Bid

The Mayors of the 17 Local Government Areas in Abia state, have passed a vote of absolute confidence on Governor Alex Otti, committing themselves to his reelection bid in 2027.

The Mayors under the auspices of Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON), made their position public on Friday, at Government House Umuahia, in a communique issued after their meeting.

Chairman of the Association and Mayor of Isuikwuato LGA, Chinedu Ekeke, said that the Otti’s record speaks clearly and visibly across all the local government areas, demonstrating clear commitments to good governance.

Ekeke in a communiqué issued at the end of the meeting, expressed the concern of ALGON over recent public statements and political meetings of those they described as “architects of a failed past,” including some former governors and their associates.

The Association said such actions were driven by discomfort with the progress currently being recorded in Abia State.

The communiqué applauded Governor Alex Otti’s administration for its commitment to good governance, fiscal responsibility, and service delivery, noting visible improvements across the 17 local government areas.

ALGON further claimed that leadership in a democratic system is determined by performance and the freely expressed will of the electorate through credible elections, and not by political declarations or pronouncements.

The association therefore passed a vote of confidence in Governor Otti, emphasising that public discourse must be guided by facts rather than falsehoods or revisionist narratives.

Answering questions later, the ALGON chairman dismissed claims that local government monthly allocation in the state is being misappropriated by the state government.

According to him, local government allocations do not come directly to the LGAs as they are paid into the Joint Account Allocation Committee (JAAC) accounts, from which funds are disbursed to the Councils.

On the Supreme Court judgment on local government autonomy, Ekeke noted that the Federal Government might still be working out modalities for its implementation, adding that for now, funding arrangements remain unchanged.

“The local governments are funded from the JAAC account because the funds go to the JAAC account,” Ekeke said.

“They (the funds) don’t come to the local government straight. And like I said, the federal government is probably trying to look for a way to handle that. But as it stands, the local governments are properly funded.”