By Peter Omopo
Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, has reaffirmed his commitment to the Labour Party (LP), dismissing speculations that he may defect amid recent moves by some opposition governors to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
The governor made the clarification on Thursday during his monthly media briefing, where he addressed questions on the ongoing leadership crisis within the Labour Party and rumours surrounding possible defections.
Otti stressed that he remains a member of the Labour Party, which platform he used to win the 2023 governorship election, while acknowledging that political developments can be unpredictable.
“We are not in an election period. If an election comes, we will still run under the Labour Party, but nobody knows tomorrow. But today, I am still in the Labour Party,” the governor said.
Commenting on the internal crisis rocking the party, Otti restated his support for the faction opposed to the leadership of Julius Abure, insisting that Abure’s tenure as national chairman had elapsed.
“We are on the right side. We have maintained that Abure’s tenure has expired, and we went to court, which affirmed that,” he said.
According to the governor, the court ruling had clearly resolved the matter, urging party members to respect judicial decisions.
“The court judgement confirmed that his tenure has expired and advised people to obey court decisions to save the courts from unnecessary troubles,” Otti added.
His remarks followed a recent judgement of the Federal High Court in Abuja, which recognised the Nenadi Usman-led national caretaker committee as the authentic leadership of the Labour Party. The court also directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to formally recognise the Usman-led leadership.
However, the leadership tussle within the party remains unresolved, as the rival faction led by Julius Abure has rejected the judgement and announced plans to challenge it at the Court of Appeal.
Despite the uncertainty, Otti maintained that his focus remains on governance in Abia State while continuing his political engagement within the Labour Party.
