- Labour Party denies reports of Abia Governor Alex Otti’s plan to defect to the APC ahead of the 2027 elections
- LP National Publicity Secretary Obiora Ifoh confirmed Otti’s commitment to the party despite ongoing internal issues
Reports that Abia State Governor Alex Otti intended to defect to the All Progressives Congress (APC) in advance of the general elections in 2027 were rejected by the Labour Party on Friday.
In an interview with reporters in Abuja, Obiora Ifoh, the LP National Publicity Secretary, provided the explanation.
He was responding to rumours that at least five opposition first-term governors had finalised their plans to join the APC prior to the elections.
Otti, Peter Mba (Enugu), Sheriff Oborevwori (Delta), Siminalayi Fubara (Rivers), and Umoh Eno (Akwa Ibom) are the governors mentioned in the reports.
Ifoh, however, maintained that the reports were more inaccurate.
He said: “It is a mere rumour and I hope it remains so. For us in the Labour Party, we are in touch with our governor, Dr. Alex Otti and he has assured us that he is not going anywhere, ahead of 2027.
“We believe that he will stay with us, irrespective of some of the issues which we are working hard to resolve.
“The courts have come up several times to interpret as regards Section 84 of the 1999 Constitution and many people who had defected at one time or the other had been challenged in court.
“So, if five governors are planning to defect, it won’t be a new thing, as it had happened in the past.”