The Abia State Government has dismissed claims that Governor Alex Otti issued a threat when he told those planning to rig the 2027 election to “write their wills,” insisting his words were purely figurative.
In a statement by the Commissioner for Information, Okey Kanu, the government said the remark had been deliberately twisted by political opponents to create unnecessary tension.
Kanu explained that Otti’s statement reflected his administration’s stand on electoral transparency and was “a lawful, democratic warning” to anyone planning to subvert the people’s will.
“The governor’s message was not a threat but a figurative expression of his commitment to credible elections and the rule of law,” Kanu said.
Otti had made the remark during his monthly media chat at the Government House, Umuahia, where he said: “I have heard that some people around him say, ‘Oh, they must take over this state, they must write results.’ But the only advice I have for them is that if they truly want to write results, they should write something else before that time. You know what it is? Their will.”
The government reiterated that Otti’s stance aligns with the 1999 Constitution and the Electoral Act 2022, both of which criminalise electoral fraud.
It added that the governor’s comment should be seen as a firm declaration that Abia would not return to an era of manipulated elections.
