Otti says Labour Party remains strong despite Obi’s defection

Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, has said the Labour Party (LP) remains a strong and viable political force despite the defection of its former presidential candidate, Peter Obi.

Otti spoke on Saturday night in Abuja during a meeting of the party’s National Working Committee (NWC), where he acknowledged recent internal challenges but insisted they had not weakened the party’s foundations.

Peter Obi formally left the Labour Party on December 31 to join the African Democratic Congress (ADC), a move that also triggered defections by some lawmakers and interim national committee members.

The governor said the party regretted Obi’s exit but was focused on rebuilding unity and strengthening its internal structures to move forward.

According to Otti, the NWC has resolved to set up a reconciliation committee to engage aggrieved members and encourage those who left the party to return. He specifically appealed to the faction led by Julius Abure to embrace peace and rejoin the party, assuring them of acceptance if they were willing to abide by party rules.

Otti also announced plans to organise congresses from the ward level up to the national level beginning in March, ahead of the party’s national convention, describing the process as critical to the party’s progress. He disclosed that another committee had been constituted to validate the party’s membership register and oversee the registration of new members.

The governor ruled out any plan for the Labour Party to join a political coalition, describing the party as “a coalition itself”, while wishing Obi well in his new political platform.

Otti further commended the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for recognising the Nenadi Usman-led NWC following a Federal High Court ruling that affirmed the committee as the party’s authentic leadership, despite an appeal filed by the rival Abure-led faction.