The Governor of Abia State, Alex Otti, has said he will not be exiting the Labour Party alongside Peter Obi, the party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 general election.
Otti stated this on Tuesday during his monthly media briefing in Umuahia, explaining that he has chosen to remain in the Labour Party in order to help rebuild and reposition it.
He revealed that Obi personally informed him of his plan to leave the party and that he did not oppose the decision, but stressed that his own political journey would take a different direction.
“If you remember, I joined the Labour Party before Peter Obi, so I did not join the party with him. He has communicated to me that he is leaving the Labour Party. I gave him my blessings. But I will remain in the Labour Party, and I told him that I would continue the struggle to rescue the Labour Party,” Otti said.
The governor described the Labour Party as the platform that brought him into office, adding that his loyalty, for now, remains with the party.
“That is the party that brought me to power. If we fight and get to the end, and we are able to reposition the Labour Party, then we can discuss other options. Therefore, for now, I am not defecting to any party,” he added.
Otti also responded to recent calls by the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, urging him to join the ruling All Progressives Congress. He said he was not interested in political distractions and preferred to focus on governance.
“Ordinarily, I would not respond to matters like that,” he said, noting that his priority was delivering on his responsibilities rather than engaging in political exchanges.
The governor acknowledged Kalu’s recent financial support to vulnerable residents in the state, describing it as consistent with his own call for assistance to the less privileged during the Christmas period.
“I thank him for doing that,” Otti said, while emphasising his commitment to a calm and principled response to political provocations.
Quoting former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, he said, “You will never get to your destination if you stop to throw stones at every dog that barks,” adding that his administration would remain focused on serving the people of Abia State.
Peter Obi has been a key figure in the opposition coalition but has yet to formally announce his move to the African Democratic Congress, which the group has adopted as its platform for the 2027 general election. Speculation, however, continues that the former Labour Party presidential candidate may soon make the declaration.
