Abia State Governor Alex Otti has said he will not impose a successor on the state when he completes his second tenure in 2031, declaring that he has no intention of becoming a political godfather.

Otti made the statement on Thursday in Umuahia while receiving Ngozi Johnson-Chukwunenye, a former governorship candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP).

The governor said the process of choosing his successor should focus on identifying the most suitable person to provide leadership for Abia rather than extending a culture in which political office holders seek to remain influential after leaving office.

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According to Otti, his administration’s priority is to establish a standard of governance that residents would expect future administrations to maintain.

He said the experience of effective governance would make it difficult for residents to accept a return to what he described as poorer standards of leadership.

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Otti said he expected whoever succeeds him to be better equipped to provide quality leadership for the state.

He also rejected the idea of using political influence to determine his successor, saying he neither tolerates political godfathers nor intends to become one.

“The most important thing you can give a people is good governance,” Otti said.

“And once people test good governance, it will be very difficult for them to allow you to take them back.”

The governor added that the process of selecting his successor would involve considering the available candidates and determining who is best suited for the responsibility.

“I don’t want to be a godfather, and I don’t tolerate godfathers,” he said.

“We will all sit down, look at everybody and say, who is the best person for this job and then all of us will agree, and we will campaign for him.”

Otti also reiterated his position that he would not seek another elective office after completing his second tenure as governor.

He said political leaders should create opportunities for younger Nigerians to assume leadership responsibilities rather than attempting to remain in power indefinitely.

“We should stop this sit-tight. It’s only you. It can’t be only you,” the governor said.

According to Otti, there are younger people who are better trained and equipped to take on leadership responsibilities and should be given opportunities to serve.

The governor linked his position on succession to programmes established by his administration to develop young people in the state.

He cited the Abia Leadership Academy as one of the initiatives through which younger residents are being prepared for future responsibilities.

Otti said more than 1,080 young people between the ages of 16 and 25 had recently graduated from the academy.

He described the participants as evidence of the potential among younger people in the state and said they should be prepared to take up leadership roles in the future.

“You will see how smart our children are. So, these are the people that will take over from us,” he said.

Otti said the training of young people was part of a broader effort to ensure that leadership responsibilities could eventually be transferred to a new generation.

His comments place succession planning within his broader argument that governance should be measured by the quality of institutions and opportunities created for citizens rather than by the continued influence of individual political leaders.

The governor’s statement also comes as political parties and potential candidates across Nigeria begin positioning themselves ahead of the 2027 general elections, although Otti’s remarks were focused on the leadership transition he expects after his tenure ends in 2031.

For now, Otti said his priority remains completing his tenure and creating conditions that would allow younger leaders to emerge and participate meaningfully in the state’s future.