By John Ogunsemore
The Governor of Abia State, Alex Otti has refuted rumour of his purported plot to defect from the Labour Party (LP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The governor described the rumours as “false, baseless and unfounded”, insisting he remains an LP member.
Otti’s stance was conveyed in a statement signed by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ferdinand Ekeoma.
Rumours of Otti’s alleged planned defection gained momentum after the Abia governor met his Imo counterpart and Chairman of the APC governors forum, Senator Hope Uzodimma.
Ekeoma said, “After the National Economic Council meeting on Thursday, April 24, Governor Otti and a few of his colleagues joined Governor Uzodimma to attend the birthday celebration of his twin daughters, an event that had nothing to do with politics.”
He noted that Otti’s “rising profile and performance” as Abia governor may be fuelling speculation and political projections from various quarters.
According to him, Otti would not take decisions with long-term consequences without consultation with the people of Abia and his close allies.
Ekeoma maintained that his principal remains focused on governance and believes it is premature to allow 2027 politics to “distract from the mandate of service to Abians”.
“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,” he added.