The pioneer leader of the Abia State Caucus of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Sam Nkire, has urged Governor Alex Otti to leave the Labour Party (LP) and join the APC to strengthen his chances of re-election in 2027.
OsunDailyNG reports that Nkire reiterated the advice initially given by Senate President Godswill Akpabio over the weekend, emphasizing that Otti should seriously consider making the switch.
Recall that Akpabio made the call while attending the 70th birthday celebration of Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe in Umuahia, the Abia State capital.
“Congratulations, my governor. I have already started seeing your work, but I can’t stand here and praise you because you are in the Labour Party. So, you are still labouring. The day you go to APC you will hear what I will say by then. You will hear how I will praise you. I will celebrate you,” Akpabio remarked.
Reacting to Akpabio’s statement, Nkire argued that the Labour Party of 2023 would not remain the same by 2027.
“Dr. Alex Otti would need to work extra, extra hard to win with LP, let alone with any party other than APC,” he stated.
Nkire also noted that Akpabio was not the first prominent APC figure to extend such an invitation, suggesting that President Bola Tinubu might soon follow suit.
However, Abia State LP Chairman, Emmanuel Otti, dismissed the calls for Otti to defect, stating, “This is his modest opinion. It does not hold water.”
Meanwhile, in an interview with The PUNCH on Sunday, LP’s National Publicity Secretary, Obiora Ifoh, reaffirmed Otti’s commitment to the party, insisting that he has no plans to defect.
“In politics, it is allowed for politicians to woo others. It is not just the APC; many other parties have been trying to woo Governor Alex Otti. But the last time I checked, he is still in the Labour Party, and he has assured us that he is going nowhere,” Ifoh stated.
He further pointed to the LP’s achievements, contrasting them with the perceived failures of APC-led states.
“For people to continue wooing him means that the LP ideology, which he is representing, is worthy of emulation. Most APC states have failed woefully, but our LP state is showing serious commitment to human development, infrastructure, and empowerment. That is why we believe the Labour Party is the right choice for Nigerians,” Obiorah added.
