Governor Alex Otti of Abia State has firmly denied reports linking him to a newly formed opposition coalition seeking to challenge President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 elections, stating he remains committed to the Labour Party (LP).
Okay.ng reports that Otti addressed the speculation during an interactive session with members of the Abia State Global Economic Council on Wednesday, held in Umuahia, the state capital.
His remarks came shortly after the coalition—spearheaded by prominent opposition figures—adopted the African Democratic Congress (ADC) as its political platform. The alliance appointed David Mark, former Senate President, as interim national chairman; Rauf Aregbesola, ex-governor of Osun State, as secretary; and Bolaji Abdullahi, former sports minister, as its spokesperson.
Responding to questions about his alleged involvement, Otti said, “You have a right to dream, I also have the right to state that I’m still a member of the Labour Party and I’m not looking for where to decamp to.”
He further dismissed any formal or informal participation in the coalition’s activities: “A lot of people have been asking: are you a member of the coalition? And my response is, ‘have you seen my name? Have you seen me attending any coalition meeting?’”
Reaffirming his administration’s focus, Otti noted that he and his team are fully occupied with the development agenda of Abia State: “We are busy doing the work that Abia people have given us. We are not attending any coalition meeting. I have not attended one. Nobody has invited me.”
While acknowledging internal challenges in the Labour Party, the governor expressed optimism that lingering issues would soon be resolved in the wake of the Supreme Court’s judgment.
“Yes, we had issues. A lot of people believe that a few issues that remain would be solved very soon because the Supreme Court judgment was very clear,” he said.
