As the political landscape begins to shift toward the 2027 general elections, Rev. Chika Ubani, a prominent Abia-born cleric, has issued a strategic warning to the national leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Presidency.
Speaking during the AllYouthAlive Retreat on Wednesday, Rev. Ubani urged the ruling party to avoid any political “backdoor agreements” with the current Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, insisting that the APC has the local strength to win the state independently.
Rev. Ubani’s message was centered on the belief that Abia presents a unique political reality that cannot be compared to other states. Specifically, he cautioned against attempting to replicate the political understanding seen between the APC and APGA in Anambra State. According to the cleric, the dynamics of the Labour Party in Abia are fundamentally different from those of APGA. He argued that Governor Otti does not possess the same political consistency as Governor Charles Soludo, making any potential alliance a “strategic error” for the APC.
“The APC must be deliberate about taking over Abia,” Ubani stated. “There is no need for any backdoor agreement. The party has credible and sophisticated candidates who can defeat him convincingly.” This call for independence is rooted in his observation that the political base that propelled the Governor to power in 2023 has significantly disintegrated. Rev. Ubani alleged that many key supporters within the Labour Party have moved on to other platforms, such as the African Democratic Congress (ADC), leaving the current administration in a weakened position.
The cleric further suggested that the Governor’s recent activities in Abuja and Lagos are signs of political “panic” and a desperate search for new alliances to secure his future. He urged the Presidency not to “surrender” Abia, emphasizing that if the Federal Government intends to allow opposition parties to hold certain states for the sake of political balance, Abia should not be among those concessions. He maintained that Abia is a state the APC can and should win outright due to its existing structures and the declining goodwill of the current state government.
Providing a personal perspective, Rev. Ubani revealed that he had actually supported Governor Otti during the 2023 elections. However, he noted that his stance has changed due to what he described as repeated breaches of trust and a failure to maintain the coalition that brought the Governor into office. “Otti cannot be trusted; he has demonstrated that severally,” Ubani concluded, advising the APC to learn from these experiences and avoid any form of “political entanglement.”
Ultimately, the cleric’s intervention highlights a growing conversation about accountability and the need for the APC to stand on its own feet in the Southeast. By focusing on grassroots mobilization and trusted candidates, Rev. Ubani believes the APC can offer Abia a more stable and reliable path forward than any fragile alliance could provide.
Rubby Obinna
March 25, 2026.
