Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, has debunked rumours of plans to defect from the Labour Party (LP) to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Naija News reports that, in a statement on Saturday, April 26, 2025, through his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ferdinand Ekeoma, Otti denied holding any meeting with Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodinma, to finalise the purported plans to join the APC.
He advised against overheating the polity with the politics of 2027, arguing that people should be more concerned with governance than with politics.
The governor further declared that he remains LP member, the platform that brought him to power, and has no plans to abandon the party, contrary to speculation.
He also urged members of the public to disregard the purported defection plans, adding that he would not make any political decision that could have a significant impact on the people of Abia State without consulting them.
The statement reads, “The report that His Excellency, Governor Alex Otti, OFR, held a meeting with Governor Hope Uzodinma of Imo State over his alleged planned defection to the All Progressives Congress (APC), is false, baseless and unfounded. It’s completely devoid of substance and thus should be disregarded.
“After the National Economic Council meeting on Thursday, April 24, Governor Otti and a few of his colleagues joined Governor Uzodinma to attend the birthday celebration of his twin daughters, an event that had nothing to do with politics.
“It’s natural for Governor Otti’s impressive performance, popularity and towering credentials as the Governor of Abia State to attract admiration and permutations from interested parties, however, Governor Otti’s political decisions, especially those that would have huge impact and far-reaching consequences on Abians, would at all times be taken in conjunction with majority of Abians and his allies. Such decisions must be justified and be seen to be in the overriding interest of Abia people.
“Governor Otti strongly holds the view that though political activities seem to have once again started gathering momentum, it would be unfair to the Abia electorate if politics of 2027, instead of governance is allowed to dominate discussions less than two years into the administration.
“Finally, we wish to emphatically state that Governor Otti remains a member of the Labour Party and is presently not planning or discussing with anyone to defect to the APC or any other party for that matter as falsely alleged.”
