Abia State Governor Alex Otti has ruled out any plan to defect from the Labour Party despite confirming that former Anambra State governor Peter Obi has told him he is leaving the party.
Otti made the clarification on Tuesday during his monthly media briefing in Umuahia, stressing that while he supports Obi’s personal decision, he has chosen to remain in the Labour Party.
The governor disclosed that Obi personally informed him of his intention to quit the party and that he offered his full support.
“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 which political platform Obi intends to join.
Reacting to calls by Benjamin Kalu, the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, urging him to defect to the All Progressives Congress (APC), Otti said he would not be distracted.
“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.
“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.”
Obi remains a leading figure in the opposition coalition but has yet to formally join the African Democratic Congress (ADC), which the coalition has adopted as its platform for the 2027 general election.
Nonetheless, speculation continues that the Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate may formally announce his move to the ADC on Wednesday.
