Otti also admitted he authorised his followers to join the party they like during the local government election in the state
By Kehinde Okeowo
Abia State Governor, Alex Otti on Thursday insisted he is still a member of the Labour Party (LP) despite the defeat suffered by the party in the recently conducted Abia State local government election.
Otti, who stated this at Government House Umuahia while responding to questions from newsmen during the November edition of his monthly media chat, also blamed the crisis in LP for the abysmal performance the party recorded.
According to him, a lot of his supporters who were dissatisfied with the crisis in the LP went elsewhere.
Otti’s faction of the LP was overruled by the court, after a judge reinstated Julius Abure as the national chairman of the party.
Following the internal squabbles in the party and the decision of the faction led by the 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi and Otti not to have anything done with the Abure-led faction, the governor asked his supporters to move to any party of their choice.
Though LP is the ruling party in Abia State, it did not field any candidates in the local government election.
Consequently, the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) won 15 local government areas while the Young Peoples Party (YPP) won the remaining two councils.
ALSO READ: Otti says Abia civil servants arrested for pension fraud will face prosecution, blasts critics
Speaking on the outcome of the election, Otti admitted he authorised his followers to join the party they like during the local government election in the state.
He said, “I can assure you that I am in LP.
“The crisis in LP made a lot of our supporters go elsewhere. Our people know those that would deliver the goods. As our people say, you know the child you would send out that would not disgrace you when they give him food. Even if he is hungry, he will refuse to eat.
“I believe that was what has happened in this case, right from the time I stood up to contest the election in 2015. When I left PDP to join APGA, our people followed me and I won that election then.
“APGA has not won even one councillorship before that time and then, we took almost half of the House of Assembly seats in 2015.
“So, sometimes, people recognise that political parties are empty platforms and that when you muddle up things in your political parties, you give advantage, create opportunities for your competitors and that was what happened in this last election.
“I authorised my followers to join any political party that they liked and the majority of them moved into other political parties. I remain in the Labour Party.
“Anytime I am going to leave, that is if there is any need to leave, you would be properly informed.”