Abia State Governor Alex Otti has said he will not assume the role of a political godfather after leaving office, adding that the people of the state will determine his successor after his second tenure.

Otti made the statement on Thursday at the Labour Party State Secretariat in Umuahia while receiving Dr Ngozika Gladys Johnson-Chukwunenye, the 2023 governorship candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), who formally joined the Labour Party.

The governor said he expected whoever succeeds him to perform better and maintained that he had no intention of controlling the political process after completing his tenure.

“What I can assure you is that by the time I am done, the person that will succeed me will be better than me. I don’t want to be a godfather,” Otti said.

He explained that the choice of a successor should be based on identifying the most suitable candidate, adding that political stakeholders would support such a candidate while stepping aside after the election.

“We will all sit down, look at everybody and say, who is the best person for this job? And then all of us would agree. And we will campaign for him. He will win. We will take a back seat,” he said.

Otti also ruled out seeking another elective position after his tenure as governor, specifically saying he had no interest in contesting for the Senate.

“I am not interested in any other thing. I don’t even want to go to Senate. I am not interested. Once I finish this one, I will retire,” he said.

The governor said his decision was influenced by his desire to create opportunities for younger people to take up leadership responsibilities. He pointed to young people between the ages of 16 and 25 as part of the generation he believes should be prepared to assume leadership in the future.

Otti called for an end to what he described as a “sit-tight syndrome”, arguing that younger people are becoming better trained and equipped and should be given opportunities to serve.

He also responded to criticism of his administration, saying the government had restored Aba and Umuahia and was extending its projects to other parts of the state.

“I can tell you without any fear of contradiction that we have literally restored those cities – Aba and Umuahia. And we are now moving into the hinterlands. And we will continue until we reach everywhere,” he said.

Otti said his administration would not be distracted by its critics, using a metaphor about barking dogs to describe those he said were opposed to its activities.

The governor also welcomed Johnson-Chukwunenye into the Labour Party and recalled her participation in the 2023 governorship election on the SDP platform.

He described her decision to contest the governorship as courageous, particularly as a woman seeking the state's highest elective office.

Earlier, Johnson-Chukwunenye explained that her decision to join the Labour Party followed her observation of developments under the Otti administration and her assessment of what she described as changes taking place across the state.

She cited the settlement of salary arrears, regular payment of workers' salaries, attention to pensioners and rehabilitation of roads in Aba and Umuahia among the developments that influenced her decision to support Otti.