Abia State Governor Alex Otti has reaffirmed his continued membership in the Labour Party (LP), while cautioning that future political alignments remain uncertain, stating that “nobody knows tomorrow.”
The governor made the remarks on Thursday during the January 2026 edition of his monthly media interaction in Umuahia, where he fielded questions from journalists.
Otti emphasized that his faction remains aligned with the correct side of the ongoing LP leadership crisis. He highlighted a recent court judgment affirming that the tenure of the party’s former national chairman, Julius Abure, has expired.
“We are on the right side. We have maintained that Abure’s tenure has expired and we went to court, which affirmed that,” Otti said. “The court judgment confirmed actually that his tenure has expired and advised people to obey court decisions to save the courts from unnecessary troubles.”
He added: “We are not in election period. If election comes, we will still run under the Labour Party, but nobody knows tomorrow. But today, I am still in the Labour Party.”
The comments come amid persistent speculation about potential defections or shifts in political affiliation, particularly given recent court rulings that have favored the faction aligned with Otti and recognized Nenadi Usman as the party’s authentic leader.
On a separate issue, Governor Otti dared former governors of the state—who have threatened legal action over his decision to operate from his private residence in Nvosi, Isiala Ngwa South Local Government Area, rather than the official Government House in Umuahia—to proceed with their planned lawsuit.
“I am waiting to be sued. My lawyers are prepared,” Otti declared. “I have looked at the constitution, there is no provision that I must live somewhere. But then, the state in which they left the Government House was…, I am sure, you are aware of this. I don’t owe them that explanation.”
The former governors, including Orji Uzor Kalu, Theodore Orji, and Okezie Ikpeazu, had indicated in early January that they would seek a court order compelling Otti to relocate to the Government House.
In his address, the governor also provided updates on his administration’s achievements since the previous media interaction in December. He noted significant progress in the education sector, with school enrollment now exceeding 300,000 pupils, and the ongoing recruitment of approximately 4,000 teachers.
Additionally, Otti announced plans to digitize and rate all hotels and hospitality facilities across Abia State using verified criteria and GPS technology.
“In the next few months, all the hotels will be assessed using verified criteria. At the click of a button, speedy hotels get their rates,” he explained, describing the initiative as part of broader efforts to improve standards and transparency in the tourism and hospitality industry.
