Unlike many politicians who built their careers within party structures, Alex Otti entered government after decades in the financial sector, rising to Group Managing Director of Diamond Bank. Vanessa Obioha examines whether the Abia State Governor is attempting to chart a different course ahead of the 2027 elections.
Nigerian politics has a rich history of bankers who left the revolving doors of the banking halls for the swivelling chairs of politics. Alex Otti, the governor of Abia State, falls into this category.
It is generally expected that bankers should be more disciplined in public offices. After all, they spend years managing balance sheets, assessing risks, allocating resources and making difficult financial decisions. The assumption is that these skills should translate seamlessly into governance.
It is against this backdrop that Otti’s tenure as governor of Abia is attracting attention.
Unlike many politicians who built their careers within party structures, Otti entered government after decades in the financial sector, rising to Group Managing Director of Diamond Bank. When he resigned from the bank in 2014 to pursue his ambition to become governor, many saw it as another banker seeking to test his management credentials in politics.
