Am not following Peter Obi to ADC – Governor Alex otti declares
Am not following Peter Obi to ADC – Governor Alex otti declares
Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, has debunked claims that he intends to leave the Labour Party in the wake of former presidential candidate Peter Obi’s reported exit from the party.
Speaking on Tuesday during his monthly media briefing in Umuahia, the state capital, Otti said he remains a member of the Labour Party and has no plans to defect.
The governor disclosed that Obi, a former Anambra State governor and the Labour Party’s flagbearer in the 2023 presidential election, personally informed him of his decision to leave the party. Otti said he respected the move and expressed his support for Obi’s choice, stressing that it was a personal decision.
He, however, made it clear that Obi’s action does not affect his own political affiliation or position within the Labour Party.
“If you remember, I joined the Labour Party before Peter Obi, so I did not join the party with him,” Otti said.
“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.
“That is the party that brought me to power. If we fight and get to the end, and we are unable to reposition the Labour Party, then we can discuss other options. Therefore, for now, I am not defecting to any party.”
The Abia governor, however, declined to disclose the political platform Peter Obi intends to join.
Reacting to calls by the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, for him to defect to the All Progressives Congress (APC), Otti said he would not be influenced or distracted by such appeals.
“Ordinarily, I would not respond to matters like that. However, those of you who listened to my Christmas message would recall that I called on our people who have enough to extend support to the less privileged, particularly at this period,” he said.
“So, seeing that he heeded the call and distributed money to vulnerable people, I thank him for doing that.
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“But I have also taken a principled decision not to dignify all the comments he made with any response.
“I am sure you are aware of a man called Winston Churchill. He was a two-time prime minister of the United Kingdom and lived from 1874 to 1965.
“He was a profound thinker and writer who said, ‘You will never get to your destination if you stop to throw stones at every dog that barks.’ We will remain focused on our job.”
Peter Obi remains a key figure within the opposition coalition but is yet to officially sign on to the African Democratic Congress (ADC), the platform adopted by the alliance for the 2027 general election.
Nonetheless, widespread speculation suggests that the former Labour Party presidential candidate may formally announce his move to the ADC on Wednesday.
