Governor Alex Otti of Abia State has clarified that the Labour Party (LP) was not a participant in the recent national summit of opposition leaders held in Ibadan, Oyo State, asserting that the party remains committed to fielding its own presidential candidate in 2027.

The summit, which featured representatives from the African Democratic Congress (ADC), a faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), resulted in a preliminary agreement to present a unified candidate for the next general election. However, speaking after a meeting of the LP National Working Committee (NWC) in Abuja, Otti dismissed the notion that the party is bound by those resolutions.

Key Highlights of the Governor’s Statement:

• Strategic Independence: Governor Otti emphasized that the Labour Party was not represented at the Ibadan summit and maintains its autonomy. "We are not bound by what happened there. We are a political party; we will hold our convention and provide tickets to qualified members," he stated.

• Internal Reconciliation: The Governor signaled a shift toward internal stability, following the NWC meeting chaired by Nenadi Usman. He noted that the party is actively seeking to reintegrate aggrieved members, including former chairman Julius Abure.

• Strengthening the Base: Otti highlighted that over 25 state chairmen, many previously aligned with the former leadership, attended the recent convention, suggesting a successful consolidation of the party's structure.

Focus on Unity and Growth

Addressing the internal leadership friction, Otti declared that the era of disagreement is over, framing the current phase as one of "reconciling, reintegrating, and strengthening."

"We declared that there were no winners and no vanquished. Everybody is a winner, so we are keeping our doors open, even for Abure to return to the party that he had worked for."

Commitment to the Current Leadership

The Governor expressed full confidence in the Nenadi Usman-led NWC, tasking them with leading the party over the next four years. He further debunked rumors regarding a potential merger with the All Progressives Congress (APC) or any other political entity, reaffirming that the Labour Party has no plans to collapse its structure.

By maintaining its distance from the proposed "single candidate" coalition, the Labour Party signals its intent to run a distinct campaign in 2027, focusing on internal healing and independent growth under its new leadership.