Abia State Governor Alex Otti hosted Rabiu Kwankwaso, the former NNPP presidential candidate, at his Nvosi residence in Isiala Ngwa South LGA.
Speaker of the House of Assembly Emmanuel Emeruwa, some aides of the governor, and members of the Kwankwasiyya Movement were present.
Although Kwankwaso said he was in the state to condole with Otti on the passing of Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, the first governor of old Abia State, rumors of a possible political alliance between him and Otti, the only Labour Party (LP) governor in the country, spread.
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Onu was buried in Uburu, his hometown in Ohaozara LGA of Ebonyi State, on Friday.
Kwankwaso’s visit coincided with a reception held by the governor for 15 Abia indigenous people who recently graduated from the Nigeria Police Academy in Kano.
Shortly after he departed the state, political analysts said they were sure that the visit was partly informed by efforts of the Peter Obi-led LP faction to align with other opposition parties ahead of 2027.
‘’Don’t forget that 2027 is near. Do you think the two men would meet like they did now with talking about the next presidential election? That is impossible,’’ one of them told The Nation.
Another said Kwankwaso and Otti were ‘’very much aware that the only way to oust President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the All Progress Congress (APC) from the center is a formidable alliance.
‘’They know that now is the best time to start talking about how to defeat those in Aso Rock. And that, I believe, is the core reason for the visit.”
Last month’s local government poll in the state produced a stunning result, with candidates loyal to Otti winning nearly all the chairmanship positions on the platform of the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP)
The governor backed the winners because of court cases on the authentic leadership of the LP.
One faction of the party is led by Julius Abure, while the other, supported by Obi and Otti, is headed by Nenadi Usman, a former Finance Minister.
Political analysts argued that if Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Obi, and Kwankwaso fail to put their political differences behind and field an acceptable presidential candidate in 2027, they might end up not making a significant impact.
Otti had, while welcoming Kwankwaso, recalled how he offered him a ‘’platform in May 2022 to run ’’ as a governorship candidate.
He thanked Kwankwaso for his guidance and patriotism.
