OTI SHUTS DOWN DEFCTION RUMOURS, VOWS TO REMAIN IN LABOUR PARTY

The Governor of Abia State, Alex Otti, has dismissed speculation that he is planning to leave the Labour Party for the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).Speaking to journalists on Thursday in Umuahia, the Abia State capital, Otti made it clear that he remains a member of the Labour Party.“I am in the Labour Party, and there is no election happening tomorrow. But if an election were to happen tomorrow, I would still run on the Labour Party platform. But then nobody knows tomorrow,” the governor said.His comments come amid growing political pressure from APC figures in the state, including Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, who has openly expressed interest in turning Abia into an APC-controlled state.During a rally last year, Kalu stated that his focus is on securing Abia for the APC and credited President Bola Tinubu for supporting development efforts in the state. He argued that Abia residents “owe the president” political alignment with the ruling party.Meanwhile, APC members such as Bashir Ahmad, a former aide to the late President Muhammadu Buhari, recently hinted on X that plans were underway for Otti’s possible defection, writing: “Abia loading…31/36.”Currently, the APC controls 30 of Nigeria’s 36 states.Otti’s latest remarks appear aimed at calming political speculation and reaffirming his loyalty to the platform that brought him to power.