Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, has issued a formal legal demand to the Abia State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC), calling for an immediate retraction and public apology over allegations linking his administration to a purported ₦5 billion political operation.
The demand was conveyed in a letter dated June 3, 2026, and signed by the Governor’s solicitor, Chief Ken Ahia (SAN). The letter challenged the APC to provide credible evidence supporting its claims or withdraw a publication titled, “APC Raises Alarm Over Alleged Plot by Abia State Government to Destabilize the Party.”
The controversy stems from allegations made by the opposition party, which claimed that a businessman allegedly associated with Governor Otti was used as a channel to distribute ₦5 billion to certain individuals within the APC’s national leadership. According to the publication, part of the funds was purportedly deployed to fuel internal divisions within the party and influence the outcome of its recently concluded primaries.
Governor Otti’s legal team strongly rejected the allegations, describing them as false, malicious, reckless, and defamatory. The lawyers argued that the claims portray the Governor as someone who misappropriated public funds, engaged in political inducement, abused the powers of his office, and participated in unlawful activities.
According to the letter, the publication exceeded the boundaries of legitimate political criticism and ventured into serious accusations capable of damaging the Governor’s reputation, credibility, and standing as a public official.
As part of the legal demand, the APC’s Publicity Secretary was given seven days to publish a full and unequivocal retraction of the allegations and issue a public apology through the same channels used to disseminate the original statement.
The Governor’s legal representatives also requested that the APC provide all evidence relied upon in making the allegations. This includes the identity of the businessman allegedly involved, the names of the purported beneficiaries of the ₦5 billion, details regarding the source of the funds, records of any alleged transactions, and copies of documents or materials supporting the claims.
The legal team maintained that if such evidence exists, it should be made available to enable relevant authorities to investigate the matter thoroughly. However, if the allegations cannot be substantiated, the publication should be regarded as a reckless and defamatory attack against the Governor.
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As of the time of this report, the Abia State chapter of the APC had not issued any official public response to the legal demand.
