Alex Otti, the Governor of Abia State, has cautioned political office appointees to remain focused on governance as political activities and propaganda ahead of the 2027 elections begin to intensify.
Governor Otti gave the charge on Saturday, February 28, while declaring open the two-day First Quarter Retreat organised by the Abia State Government for political office holders at the International Conference Centre, Ogurube-Umuahia. The retreat was themed “Accelerating Progress: Unlocking New Opportunities.”
The governor said that although citizens have witnessed notable improvements in their social and economic conditions under his administration, cabinet members must remain steadfast and not be distracted by emerging political developments in the state.
He noted that 2026 would be a particularly demanding year for government officials, stressing that no level of political noise should derail the administration’s development agenda across critical sectors of the state economy.
“My charge to you is to keep doing your job with assured diligence and firm commitment to the New Abia Agenda. We must stay focused. However, it would amount to self-deceit to be ignorant or inattentive to political occurrences around us,” Otti said.
“This will be a very busy year for all of us, and we must prepare for the journey ahead. There will be distractions, but no amount of noise, whatever the decibel, can take our attention away from the developments we want to see in our educational institutions, health ecosystem, and other critical sectors, where we plan to invest over one trillion naira in the current fiscal year.”
The governor emphasised that the future of Abia State must take precedence over all other considerations, adding that anything that could derail collectively agreed-upon goals should be firmly set aside.
Having been briefed by the retreat planning committee on the structure and tone of the programme, Governor Otti urged all appointees to take the retreat seriously and participate actively.
Earlier, the Secretary to the State Government, Emmanuel Meribeole, said the retreat was convened at a critical moment when collective effort was required to rebuild and reposition Abia State for sustainable growth.
He noted that since assuming office, Governor Otti had pursued deliberate and impactful reforms across various sectors of the economy, adding that such progress should not breed complacency—hence the need for the retreat.
According to him, the theme “Accelerating Progress: Unlocking New Opportunities” challenges participants to ask critical questions, engage in honest introspection, ensure strategic alignment, and evaluate performance.
He added that the retreat also served as a platform to strengthen teamwork across Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), encouraging participants to engage openly in discussions, share experiences, challenge assumptions constructively, and embrace innovative ideas to enhance service delivery.
The Retreat that featured various presentations and question and answers sessions ended Monday.
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