Otti Dismisses Defection Rumour, Spurns Invitation to Join APC

Boniface Okoro in Umuahia

Abia State Governor, Dr. Alex Otti, has dismissed rumours of his plan to defect from Labour Party, stating he wouldremain to “rescue” the party that brought him to power.

Otti made this clear during his monthly media chat, “Dr. Alex Otti speaks to Abians.”

At the media interactive, he was asked to respond to defection rumours and to also clarify if he was planning to defect with the 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, who just defecte to the ADC.

“If you remember, I joined the Labour Party before Peter Obi. He (Obi) communicated to me that he was leaving the Labour Party and I gave him my blessings, but I told him that I would remain in the Labour Party.

“I told him that I would have to continue the struggle to rescue the Labour Party. That is the party that brought me to power. But for now, I am not defecting with him,” Otti said.

He stressed that discussions about alternative party platforms could only arise after exhausting internal efforts to strengthen Labour Party, emphasising that his immediate priority was delivering on the mandate given to him by Abians.

Otti also paried the question on whether he would honour the open invitation by the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Okezie Kalu, to join the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Speaking at the end-of-the-year Townhall Meeting for the Renewed Hope Partners at Bende on Monday, Kalu said he wanted Otti to join APC and he would receive their support.

Said the Deputy Speaker: “Programme after programme, meeting after meeting, we will be tilling the grassroots while inviting those who are sitting on the fence.

“Let me tell you, I want to use this opportunity again, we invite Governor Alex Otti to join our party. I want to use this opportunity again, publicly, to enjoin him to come to our party. If he comes to our party, we will support him.”

Responding, the governor said, “You specifically mentioned his invitation to me to join APC. Ordinarily, I would not respond on matters that have to do with the Rt. Hon. Benjamin Kalu, but since you have asked, the first thing is to thank him for heeding the call that I made.

“Those of you who listened to my Christmas message, I had called on our people who have means to extend their consideration to the less privileged, particularly at this time.

“To see that he heeded that call and distributed rice and some items to vulnerable people, I thank him for doing that. But then I have also taken the principled decision not to dignify all the comments he made with any response.”