2027 Elections
Otti’s Work Will Campaign for Him in 2027, Says Catholic Bishop
The Catholic Bishop of Aba Diocese, Most Rev. Augustine Ndubueze Echema, has described Abia State Governor Alex Otti as a leader with integrity, saying the governor’s achievements will speak for him as he seeks re-election in 2027.
Echema made the remarks on Sunday at the Christ the King Cathedral (CKC), Asa Road, Aba, during an event held to celebrate his 40th priestly anniversary.
The celebration was attended by Governor Otti, Catholic bishops, priests, Catholic faithful, government officials and other dignitaries who gathered to honour the bishop for four decades of priestly service.
While appreciating Otti for his decision to support the construction of a retirement home for Catholic priests in the Aba Diocese, Echema recalled that he had discussed the need for the facility with the governor about three months earlier.
The bishop said Otti had demonstrated integrity through his actions and expressed confidence that his achievements in office would speak for him during the 2027 election.
“Let me go to our amiable governor. It is not up to three months we invited you here and then we cornered you and presented our needs,” Echema said.
“I mentioned that day that I am dealing with a governor with integrity. And I have no fear of any contradiction to repeat it here.
We are dealing with a man with integrity.
“If you are in doubt, you go to Aba. He is a man of integrity.”
Echema further stated that he was not campaigning for Otti, insisting that the governor’s performance would serve as his own campaign ahead of the 2027 governorship election.
“I am telling you, Otti, I have said it before, I am not campaigning for you and I don’t need to campaign for you. The work that you have done so far will campaign for you,” he said.
The bishop also expressed confidence that the governor would fulfil his commitment to the construction of the proposed retirement home, which he said would ease the burden faced by the diocese.
“You will continue to go higher and higher and I know you will do it. Thank you so very much.
I’m sure the priests are very happy. You have taken down our heavy load. There are so many things to do. So, thank you for this wonderful gesture,” Echema added.
The bishop also thanked God for sustaining him throughout his 40 years of priestly ministry and appreciated the governor, fellow bishops, priests and Catholic faithful for joining him in marking the anniversary.
Otti announces private funding for priests’ retirement home
In his remarks, Governor Otti congratulated Echema on his 40th priestly anniversary and prayed for continued divine strength and good health for the bishop.
The governor described Echema as a “rare gift to Nigeria” and expressed gratitude to God for sustaining him throughout his four decades of service.
Otti also recalled the bishop’s request for a retirement home for Catholic priests, saying he and some private individuals and foundations had decided to take up the project without using government funds.
According to him, the initiative would be financed by the Alex Otti Foundation, Unubiko Foundation, the Ide John Udeagbara Foundation and other private individuals.
“We are very happy that our Father has clocked 40 years in this service and it is a rare privilege to do 40 years. We thank God that he has good health. So that is the grace of God,” Otti said.
The governor added that the project would cater for retired priests, bishops, reverend fathers and potentially reverend sisters.
“I know that there is something that the Bishop has so much passion for. He called me sometime and said, ‘this is what I want to do.’
That is a retirement home for priests, bishops, reverend fathers, and I believe Rev sisters too.
“We want to take that problem off you.
We will fund it. So, work will start very soon. And I know it’s not government’s fund.
It’s from Alex Otti Foundation, Unubiko Foundation, Ide John Udeagbara Foundation and private concerns. So, it’s not a government thing. We will do it to our standard,” he said.
Otti speaks on Abia Airport
The governor also used the occasion to update residents on the progress of work at the Abia Airport in Nsulu.
Otti said construction work had progressed significantly, with the airport’s runway nearing completion.
He added that work on the runway would soon be completed.
The event attracted several prominent figures, including the member representing Arochukwu/Ohafia Federal Constituency, Hon.
Ibe Okwara Osonwa; members of the Abia State House of Assembly; mayors; members of the State Executive Council and senior government officials.
Also present were the Archbishop of the Owerri Ecclesiastical Province, Most Rev.
Lucius Ugorji; Catholic bishops from across the country; friends of Governor Otti, including Chief James Ume, popularly known as Ike Abam, and other dignitaries.
The bishop’s comments come as political activities gradually build ahead of the 2027 elections, with Otti expected to seek another term in office.
2027 Elections
2027: Oyo APC Rejects Tinubu Campaign Backed by APM Support
The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Oyo State has warned members and promoters of the political group, Boye Nation, against campaigning for candidates of different political parties ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The party insisted that anyone supporting President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid must also work for all other APC candidates contesting elective positions in the state.
It consequently urged the group to either return to the APC and support its candidates across board or stay away from its campaign activities.
The warning followed the circulation of a video on social media showing campaign-branded vehicles displaying photographs and messages in support of President Tinubu and the governorship candidate of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) in Oyo State, Bimbo Adekanmbi.
The vehicles reportedly carried the symbol of Boye Nation alongside the logos of the APC and APM, although no accompanying voice messages were heard.
In a statement issued in Ibadan on Thursday, the Oyo APC Publicity Secretary, Olawale Sadare, said the party had received reports indicating that some individuals behind the activities of Boye Nation in the state were allegedly planning to create confusion within the political space.
Sadare, however, said the APC remained open to reconciliation with aggrieved members who had left the party, urging them to reconsider their political decisions.
He said, “We have got the reports from different sources that some individuals, who are behind the Boye Nation activities in Ibadan, are perfecting plans to create confusion in the polity.
“Some of these people celebrate their confusion on social media, but we can only wish them the best of luck. Information has it that some individuals who left our party recently are now trying to campaign for President Bola Tinubu against the presidential candidate of their new party.
“While we sympathise with the man in question, as he and his group must have realised the fatal error in their recent political move, we urge them to return home and play the role expected of them as progressive family members.”
The APC spokesman cautioned that the party’s willingness to reconcile with former members should not be interpreted as weakness.
He also rejected the use of campaign materials bearing the identities of multiple political parties, stressing that support for Tinubu must extend to other APC candidates.
“If you are supporting our presidential candidate, Asiwaju Tinubu, you must be intentional by working for the governorship, senatorial, House of Representatives and House of Assembly candidates of the APC at the same time, as doing otherwise would be unacceptable to us,” the statement added.
PUNCH Online reports that Ajiboye Sangogade, popularly known as Boye Nation, a former personal assistant and loyalist of ex-Minister of Power, Bayo Adelabu, led a group of APC members who defected to the APM in Oyo State in September 2026.
The development highlights the political differences surrounding party loyalty and campaign alignments ahead of the 2027 general elections.
2027 Elections
2027: Yari Challenges Ekiti to Deliver 800,000 Votes for Tinubu
Former Zamfara State Governor and Director-General of the All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council, Abdulaziz Yari, has challenged Ekiti residents to deliver at least 800,000 votes for President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election.
Yari made the appeal on Thursday during the APC campaign rally in Ekiti State, where he urged residents to increase their support for Tinubu, insisting that the President had performed well and deserved a second term.
Speaking at the rally, which was monitored on television by our correspondent, Yari said the Tinubu administration had not neglected Ekiti, citing investments in education, road infrastructure, youth development and women’s empowerment.
“Asiwaju has not forgotten the people of Ekiti. He has done his best by introducing schools and universities, constructing roads, providing educational support to youths and empowering women, among other initiatives,” he said.
Yari urged Ekiti residents not to allow what he described as the achievements of the Tinubu administration to go to waste.
“The labour of this great democrat cannot be allowed to go in vain,” he added.
Tinubu is seeking re-election in the January 16, 2027, presidential election, as scheduled by the Independent National Electoral Commission.
2027 Elections
Politics Is Expensive’: Wike Reacts to Opposition Complaints Over Abuja Billboard Costs
The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has defended the high cost of billboard advertising in Abuja, insisting that political campaigns are expensive globally and that parties should explore alternative. platforms, including social media, to reach voters ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Wike made the remarks during his monthly media chat in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, on Thursday, following complaints by opposition parties over the rising cost of securing billboard spaces in the nation’s capital.
Some opposition parties have expressed concerns that the increasing charges for prominent billboard locations in Abuja could restrict their ability to publicise candidates and campaign messages, potentially creating difficulties for parties with limited financial resources.
However, the FCT minister dismissed suggestions that the charges were intended to disadvantage opposition parties, explaining that the increase was part of the administration’s revenue-generation efforts.
According to him, political parties should recognise the financial demands of electioneering and take advantage of digital platforms to communicate with their supporters.
“Politics is expensive all over the world,” Wike said, adding that parties could use their social media platforms to campaign.
The minister maintained that the FCT administration was interested in generating revenue through billboard advertising, particularly during periods when demand for advertising spaces increases.
“We want money. The FCT wants money, and part of us making money is through the billboards to raise our revenue.
“If we know that in a given time, people will rush the billboard and authority feel that we will raise the funds to make more money,” he said.
Wike insisted that the charges were not introduced to target any political party, stressing that the revenue generated would be channelled into infrastructure development and improved public services across the territory.
“The authority did not raise funds against you, because it is you.
“I am going to use the money to do more roads, to improve the schools,” he stated.
The former Rivers State governor also questioned the significance opposition parties attached to billboard advertising, arguing that the medium alone could not determine the outcome of an election.
He suggested that political parties should focus on broader campaign strategies rather than relying heavily on outdoor advertising to secure electoral support.
“For Christ’s sake, a billboard does not win an election; how many people in the villages know about the billboard?” he said.
Addressing concerns about unequal access to campaign advertising platforms, Wike noted that political parties and other organisations also pay substantial amounts to secure premium advertising slots in media organisations.
He further explained that the FCT administration was not responsible for determining which individuals or organisations secured billboard spaces, maintaining that advertisers could make advance payments to reserve preferred locations.
“People go and pay a year ahead for billboards, ‘how will I know?’ ‘My business is not going to ask, who and who paid for the billboard; I have no business there,” he said.
Wike also challenged opposition parties alleging discrimination in the allocation or pricing of billboard spaces to formally approach the FCT administration with their complaints.
He insisted that no political party or representative had personally brought the matter to his attention.
“Let them complain to us; no one has complained to us. Nobody has complained to me,” he said.
The controversy over billboard advertising costs comes as political parties begin preparations for the 2027 general elections, with access to campaign platforms, media visibility and funding expected to feature prominently in political activities ahead of the polls.
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