“Just Go, We Don’t Need You”, Abure Led LP Tells Governor Otti

By Suleiman Anyalewechi

The factional National Chairman of the Labour Party, LP, Barr. Julius Abure, on Friday, July 4, 2025, called on  the Abia State Governor, Dr Alex Otti, to hasten his exit from the party.

In a statement issued by the Party’s National spokesperson, Obiorah Ifoh, the National Chairman also urged  the Abia State Governor to stop pretending, and quickly join his political soul mates in the nascent Coalition platform, the  African Democratic Congress, ADC.

Abure’s remark is coming on the heels of  Governor Ott’s insistence that he is still a loyal and commitment member of the LP, despite all talks and speculations surrounding his political future.

At an interactive session last week in Umuahia with members of Abia State Global Economic Council, Otti, who instructively is the only Governor elected on the LP platform across the country, distanced himself from the new Coalition movement being put together by some major opposition forces including Peter Obi, on whose wings he rode to the State seat of power in 2023.

But despite the involvement of  Obi ,the LP Presidential Candidate in the 2023 general elections in the Coalition efforts, Governor Otti said he has never been invited to, nor attended any of  its meetings .

“I will just spend a few minutes talking about what some members of the Global Economic Council have been asking me.

“One of them is the report on about five Governors decamping to APC. I am still a member of of the Labour Party ,and I am not looking for where to decamp to.

“The second point is about coalition, and a lot of people have been asking me : are you a member of the Coalition ? And my response has been: have you seen my name? Have you seen me attending the coalition meeting?

“We are just busy doing the work Abia people have given to us. So,we are not attending any Coalition meeting. I have not attended any one, and nobody has invited me.

“I am happy where I am .Yes, we had issues in the Labour Party. In life ,if you don’t have problems, then you are dead. But when the problems come, you rise to the occasion. You don’t run away from them.

When we had our problems, we fought all the way to the Supreme Court. I am convinced that, a few issues that are remaining, as far as the problems are concerned, will be resolved very soon because the Supreme Court’s Judgment is clear enough”, Governor stated.

However, the Abure-led leadership of the LP said it is highly surprised that Governor Otti is still trying to deceive members of the party and the general public concerning his loyalty.

“Our attention has been drawn to Governor Otti’s interview where in he claimed that he is still a member of the Labour Party. We are not going to fall for his deception.

“How can he be in the Labour Party when recently he conducted the Local Government election in Abia state with Zenith Labour Party as his party?

“He should not think that every Nigerian is bereft of knowledge.He formed ,and he is funding the illegal caretaker committee that had formally joined the ADC.

:The icing on the cake was the Wednesday unveiling of the Coalition where every member of the Caretaker Committee formally joined the ADC.

“We are shocked that Governor Otti is paradoxically trying to mislead members of the Labour Party by saying that he is still a member of the Labour Party.

“In any event, we had earlier suspended him indefinitely from the party because of his anti-party activities.

“Labour Party is on the move again. We have the best brand in Nigeria ,and we are eager to engage young Nigerians who have the interest of the nation at heart.

“We are, therefore, willing to let go of everyone, no matter how high ,whose interest in Nigeria is self-driven, opportunistic politicians who are not principled.

“Labour Party is not, and cannot be in any Coalition because coalition of political parties are ideologically bereft. It is a marriage of strange fellows whose only agenda is power grabbing .

“It is selfish ,and no true democrat will agree to such an amalgam. The Labour Party is, therefore, in a hurry to sanitize itself of people without character”, the statement read in part.