Background and Education
Alex Otti was born on 18 February 1965 to the family of the late Pastor and Mrs. Lazarus Weze Otti in Umuru, Umuehim village in Ehi Na Uguru Ancient Kingdom, Isiala Ngwa South LGA of Abia State. He completed his secondary education at Ngwa High School, Aba, and Secondary Technical School, Okpuala Ngwa in Abia State, where he graduated as the best student in his set during the school certificate examinations. He then attended the University of Port Harcourt, where he graduated with a First Class honors degree in economics in 1988.
Otti earned an MBA degree from the University of Lagos in 1994. He has attended various international courses, including the Executive Development Programmes at Columbia Business School, Stanford Business School, Wharton Business School (University of Pennsylvania), and an executive programme at INSEAD, Fontainebleau, France. He was conferred with an honorary doctorate degree by Babcock University in 2009, an honorary Doctor of Science (D.Sc.) Degree by the University of Port Harcourt in 2012, and another honorary doctorate degree from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka in 2013.
Career
Otti began his banking career in 1989 with the Nigerian International Bank, a subsidiary of Citibank New York, where he worked in the operations department. He then moved to the Nigerian Intercontinental Merchant Bank Ltd, working in both the treasury and financial services unit and the corporate banking division. In 1992, he joined Societe Bancaire Nigeria Limited (Merchant Bankers), a subsidiary of Banque SBA Paris, where he rose to the position of senior manager. He later joined the United Bank for Africa (UBA) as the principal manager overseeing the bank’s corporate banking sector for the entire South Division, focusing on the oil and gas business.
In May 2001, he joined First Bank of Nigeria PLC as assistant general manager, responsible for growing the Energy Sector. He was promoted to deputy general manager in 2004, and in 2005, he was appointed executive director, commercial banking. He later became the executive director of the South Directorate, overseeing over 140 branches in the South-South and South Eastern geopolitical zones.
In March 2011, he became the group managing director and chief executive officer of Diamond Bank, leading the bank through a significant transformation. His tenure was renewed in March 2014 for an additional three years. He took voluntary retirement on October 24, 2014, with Uzoma Dozie succeeding him as the new GMD and Bank CEO.
Political Career
Otti was the gubernatorial candidate of Abia State under the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA). On December 31, 2015, the Court of Appeal in Owerri declared Otti the winner of the April 11 and April 25 gubernatorial elections, removing Okezie Ikpeazu of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from office. However, on February 3, 2016, the Supreme Court of Nigeria reversed this decision and affirmed Ikpeazu's election.
Continuing his political aspirations, Otti joined the Labour Party in May 2022 after leaving the All Progressive Congress. He was declared the unopposed party flag bearer for the 2022 governorship election. In the 2023 general elections, he emerged as the governor of Abia State, defeating his closest rival, Okey Ahiwe of the PDP.
Personal Life
Alex Otti is a member of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. He is married to Priscilla Otti, and they have three children.