Abia governor speaks on alleged planned defection to APC

Governor Alex Otti of Abia State has refuted reports that he plans to defect to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

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A report surfaced online recently suggesting that Mr Otti met with Governor Hope Uzodinma of Imo State as a prelude to his alleged plan to defect to the APC.

Mr Uzodinma, a second-term governor, is an APC leader in the South-east.

However, in a statement on Saturday by Ferdinand Ekeoma, the special adviser on media and publicity, Mr Otti described the report as “false, baseless, and unfounded.”

“It’s completely devoid of substance and thus should be disregarded,” the governor said.

‘It was only a birthday party’

According to the statement, Mr Otti said the reported meeting with Governor Uzodinma was only a birthday party he attended on Thursday in Abuja.

He said he and other governors joined Governor Uzodinma to attend the birthday celebration of his twin daughters on Thursday after the National Economic Council meeting.

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The Abia governor said the event had nothing to do with politics.

Mr Otti said it was “natural” that his “impressive popularity and towering credentials” as Abia governor would “attract admiration and permutations” from interested (political) parties.

“Governor Otti’s political decisions, especially those that would have a huge impact and far-reaching consequences on Abians, would at all times be taken in conjunction with the majority of Abians and his allies,” the statement said.

The governor said he firmly believes it would be unfair to the Abia electorate if politics of 2027, instead of governance, is allowed to dominate discussions less than two years into his administration.

“We wish to emphatically state that Governor Otti remains a member of the Labour Party and is presently not planning or discussing with anyone to defect to the APC or any other party for that matter as falsely alleged,” the statement added.

Background

Mr Otti was elected governor of Abia State in 2023 under the Labour Party (LP) platform.

His election was the first time the LP would win a governorship election in the South-eastern state.

Meanwhile, there have been speculations that the ruling APC would rely on the federal government’s influence to win the 2027 governorship election in Abia.

The APC is the ruling party in Imo and Ebonyi, within the South-east.

The party has repeatedly expressed intentions to take over the remaining three states in the South-east.

It has vowed to unseat Governor Otti in the 2027 election.

Before then, the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Ben Kalu, said he had told Governor Otti “publicly and privately” that his reelection would be resisted and that an APC candidate would emerge governor in Abia.

Mr Kalu, a member of the APC, hails from Abia State.

Nigeria’s main opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), is losing many of its members and chieftains to the APC.

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On Wednesday, for instance, Governor Sheriff Oborevwori of Delta State, his Deputy, Monday Onyeme, and some commissioners defected to the APC from the PDP.

Mr Otti’s rumoured plan to defect to the APC followed speculations that more governors and top politicians in opposition parties were considering a switch to the ruling party.