Abia State governor, Alex Otti, debunked rumours that he was joining the All Progressives Congress (APC) or the newly floated Coalition party, stating that he remains a Labour Party candidate.
Otti disclosed this while speaking at a dinner to mark the start of the 2025 mid-year retreat for government appointees. He reiterated his commitment to the Labour Party and his resolve to deliver his mandate to the people of Abia State.
“I will just spend a few minutes talking about what some members of the Global Economic Council have been asking me. One of them is the report about five governors decamping to the APC. I’m still a member of the Labour Party and I’m not looking for where to decamp to.
“The second point is about coalition, and a lot of people have been asking me, Are you a member of the coalition? And my response is, have you seen my name? Have you seen me attending the coalition meeting? He said.
Otti stressed that he has been too busy governing Abia State to entertain thoughts of defection or opposition politics. He admitted that the Labour Party has some internal issues, but he believes the Supreme Court can resolve such issues.
“We are just busy doing the work that Abia people have given us. So, we are not attending any coalition meeting, I have not attended any one, and nobody has invited me.
“I am happy where I am. Yes, we had issues. If you don’t have issues, you are dead So, you wake up and there is one problem or the other, you solve the problem. You don’t run away from a problem and pretend to have solved it.” Otti Said
The Coalition Movement
The People’s Democratic Party has lost its status as the main opposition party in Nigeria due to internal squabbles and mass defection. The APC, as it stands, seems to be heading towards becoming the sole frontline party in Nigeria. This development has caused disgruntled politicians to rally around and float an opposition party in the form of a multi-party coalition.
The African Democratic Congress (ADC), formed in 2005, emerged as an umbrella for the coalition movement in Nigeria ahead of the 2027 elections. Initially named the Alliance for Democratic Change, it rebranded to accommodate ideals and registered with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
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Early this month, the ADC was formally adopted by a coalition of opposition leaders, including Atiku Abubakar, Peter Obi, and Nasir El-Rufai, aiming to challenge President Bola Tinubu’s All Progressives Congress (APC). The coalition appointed Senator David Mark as interim National Chairman and Rauf Aregbesola as National Secretary, with the entire ADC leadership resigning to facilitate this transition.
Governor Alex Otti noted that he hasn’t attended any of these coalition meetings, a testimony to his resolve to remain in the Labour Party and work for Abia state.
