Untangling Propaganda: The Politics Behind the “Otti Betrayal” Narrative
In the last forty-eight hours, Abia’s political space has been flooded with a sensational narrative pushed by the ABIA APC RENAISSANCE GROUP, alleging that Governor Alex Otti’s visit to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu was a clandestine mission to seek political survival, undermine Peter Obi, and infiltrate the APC. It is a dramatic story, emotionally satisfying for partisan ears, but one that collapses under the weight of basic evidence, institutional logic, and publicly available facts.
What is emerging is not a credible political warning but the anatomy of a well-crafted propaganda cycle—built on anonymous claims, unverifiable assertions, and deliberate attempts to poison relationships between Abuja and Umuahia at a time when national-state collaboration is central to governance.
The Known Facts Versus the Manufactured Claims
Contrary to the absolute certainties presented in the Renaissance Group’s statement, reliable facts about the meeting between Otti and President Tinubu remain limited. No official transcript has been released by the Presidency or the Abia State Government. What is publicly available is straightforward:
Governor Otti has been visibly active in the push for a political resolution to the detention of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu. In November 2024, he personally visited Kanu in Sokoto and called for a negotiated settlement.
National platforms such as Arise News linked Otti’s recent visit to the Villa directly to matters surrounding Kanu, reporting that the trip came “amid push for Nnamdi Kanu’s release.”
Yet the Renaissance Group claims with divine certainty that “Nnamdi Kanu was never discussed” during the meeting. It is a political convenience masquerading as insider knowledge. No one outside that room can state with factual authority what was—or was not—raised. What the Group has offered is not evidence; it is conjecture dressed up as revelation.
The “Dissolve Abia APC for Otti” Story: A Political Fiction
The most dramatic claim in the Renaissance Group’s statement is that Alex Otti begged President Tinubu to dissolve the entire Abia APC structure for him. That allegation appears nowhere in any official briefing, newspaper report, or Presidency communication.
In Nigerian party politics, dissolving a state chapter is a major national event. It requires NEC processes, INEC filings, and formal public announcements. There has been none. Not one reputable newspaper—Punch, Guardian, Sun, Premium Times—has reported such a conversation.
What the Renaissance Group offers instead is a tale sourced entirely to unnamed “insiders,” conveniently packaged to frighten APC members and energize internal suspicions.
It is propaganda in its most predictable form: accuse the outsider of plotting to take over the house, then amplify fear to achieve internal cohesion.
The Attempt to Rewrite Otti’s Political History
Much of the statement leans heavily on the claim that Otti is a “serial political betrayer.” The evidence presented? That he has moved across political parties. But political mobility is not a crime in Nigeria—indeed, it is almost a national sport. Many of the loudest voices in the APC today, including in Abia, arrived through the same route: PDP → APGA → APC; APGA → PDP → APC; and various other permutations.
To single out Otti as the poster-child of party migration is to apply a moral standard that no major figure in contemporary Nigerian politics could meet.
Moreover, the propaganda attempts to frame his cooperation with President Tinubu as betrayal of Peter Obi. Yet there is nothing in the public record—no statement, no vote, no leaked document—showing that Otti has disowned, attacked, or undermined Peter Obi. The insinuation is not based on events; it is based on partisan fantasy.
The False Claim of “Demolishing Tinubu’s Campaign Offices”
A particularly inflammatory thread in the Renaissance Group’s release is the accusation that Otti has been “demolishing and sealing Tinubu campaign offices all over Abia.” If such widespread actions had occurred, they would dominate national headlines. There would be videos, petitions, lawsuits, and daily coverage across major newspapers.
Instead, independent reports on demolitions in Abia under Otti have focused on illegal structures on road corridors, shanties built on right-of-way, and disputed buildings such as Abia Hotels. None of these incidents have been linked to Tinubu campaign offices by any reputable news outlet.
To insert President Tinubu’s name into routine urban regulation is to attempt to provoke the Presidency with a false sense of grievance. It is an emotional trap, not a factual account.
Weaponizing Nnamdi Kanu for Political Gain
Ironically, the Renaissance Group accuses Otti of exploiting Nnamdi Kanu’s detention for political gain while simultaneously exploiting the same issue for their own political messaging. They present themselves as protectors of Igbo sentiments while demonizing a governor who has publicly visited Kanu, engaged with his legal team, and called for a political resolution consistent with the calls of Southeast leaders and civic groups.
To claim that Otti “did nothing” for Kanu is to deliberately ignore months of documented advocacy.
This contradiction reveals the deeper political motive: not to defend Nnamdi Kanu, but to weaponize his name.
The Attempt to Force a Wedge Between Tinubu and Otti
The centerpiece of the propaganda is clear: create the impression that Otti is pretending to support Tinubu while secretly planning treachery. The aim is to poison the President’s perception of any cooperation coming from the Abia governor and to rally APC members into a defensive posture.
But this reading ignores the reality of Nigerian federalism.
Opposition governors and the President routinely collaborate on infrastructure, security, power, and investment matters. President Tinubu has maintained cordial working relationships with opposition governors such as Peter Mbah of Enugu, Caleb Mutfwang of Plateau, Dauda Lawal of Zamfara, and Godwin Obaseki of Edo before 2024.
Governance requires cooperation—even across party lines.
To portray every meeting between Otti and Tinubu as a sinister plot is to misunderstand the nature of statecraft in a federation.
The Press Release Tone: Why It Matters
The Renaissance Group tries to extract meaning from the tone of the Abia Government’s recent press release on the NDPHC power project in Umuahia, claiming it was part of Otti’s attempt to “impress the Presidency.” But the language of that press release was standard technical communication: infrastructural specifications, project timelines, and collaboration details. It mirrored every state–federal partnership announcement issued across Nigeria.
Reading conspiracy into normal administrative communication is another hallmark of propaganda.
Why This Narrative Is Emerging Now
The deeper context is the political awakening within Abia APC. After years of factional conflict, the party is regaining internal cohesion and positioning itself for 2027. Nothing threatens a rebuilding opposition party more than the possibility—real or imagined—that a popular opposition governor may establish working goodwill with the President.
Creating suspicion is therefore strategic.
The Renaissance Group’s release is not about governance. It is about narrative warfare.
It is about defining Otti in the mind of the President before Otti defines himself.
It is about preemptively discrediting any cross-party collaboration.
It is about building an emotional firewall between Abuja and Umuahia.
But nation-building is not served by this level of toxic partisanship. Nor does responsible opposition require fiction to be effective. Abia has legitimate policy debates around pensions, gratuities, civil service restructuring, urban renewal, and power distribution. Those issues deserve rigorous criticism, not character assassination.
A Final Word
If the goal is to hold Governor Otti accountable, the path is straightforward: use data, cite budgets, interrogate policies, question procurement, scrutinize performance. Abia’s political culture will be healthier when opposition relies on facts, not fantasies; on documentation, not whispers; on constructive engagement, not emotional manipulation.
What the Renaissance Group has produced may stir social media excitement, but it offers no verifiable evidence, no policy insight, and no responsible guidance to either the President or the public.
Abia deserves a higher calibre of political debate than this.
AProf Chukwuemeka Ifegwu Eke
