Otti insists Abure’s tenure as Nat. Chairman has expired, to contest re-election under LP

From Okey Sampson, Umuahia

Abia State Governor, Dr. Alex Otti has insisted that the tenure of Chief Julius Abure as National Chairman of the Labour Party has expired, moreover as that has been affirmed by the court.

This is even as Otti has restated his desire to contest the 2027 Governorship election on the platform of LP, baring any unforeseen circumstances.

Otti made these known on Thursday night while fielding questions during the January, 2026 edition of his monthly media parley.

“We have maintained that Abure’s tenure has expired and we went to court, which affirmed that.

“So, the Court judgment confirmed actually that his tenure has expired and I advise people to obey court decisions to save the courts from unnecessary troubles.”

Responding a question on which platform he will contest next year’s Governorship election, Otti said, “We are not in election period. If election comes, we will still run under the Labour Party, but nobody knows tomorrow. But today, I am still in the Labour Party.”

On plans by former governors and other previous office holders in the state to sue him for not operating from the Government House, the governor said he was ready to face his predecessors in court over this as his lawyers are waiting for them.

Speaking further, the governor said,

“The electric buses providing free transportation will continue running until the end of February to further ease the burden on our citizens.”

The Governor revealed that the Aba water project is nearing completion and will soon be commissioned, with similar efforts ongoing in Umuahia.

“Very soon, the Aba water project will be completed and commissioned. Water will begin to flow to many parts of Aba, and the same will happen in Umuahia.”

“We are rebuilding more schools, not just structures but the entire learning environment, because the future of Abia depends on the quality of education we give our children,” Otti said.

On education, Governor Alex Otti announced that enrollment into basic and secondary education in Abia has jumped from 117,000 to 300,000 as of December 2025.