By CHARLES CHIJIOKE
The governor of Abia state, Alex Otti, has said the Labour Party (LP) did not participate in the opposition coalition meeting in Ibadan where parties agreed to present a joint presidential candidate for the 2027 elections.
Speaking in Abuja after a meeting of the party’s national working committee (NWC) chaired by Nenadi Usman, Otti clarified that the LP is not bound by decisions reached at the summit, which involved groups including the African Democratic Congress (ADC), a faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP).
“Unfortunately, we were not part of the summit. We will hold a convention. So, we are not bound by what happened there [in Ibadan]. We did not attend,” Otti said.
He stressed that the LP will independently field candidates in the next general election, adding, “We are a political party. So if you are a party member and want to run, we will give you a ticket.”
The governor also signalled a reconciliation drive within the party, noting that efforts are ongoing to reintegrate aggrieved members, including former national chairman Julius Abure.
“If you followed the convention, we had over 25 state chairmen in attendance, many of whom were previously aligned with Abure,” he said. “It is part of the charge that we gave the national working committee to reconcile and bring back as many people as possible, and that it is happening.
“We declared that there were no winners and no vanquished. Everybody is a winner, so we are keeping our doors open, even for Abure to return to the party that he had worked for. So, the disagreement is over. We are now reconciling, reintegrating, and strengthening the party.”
Otti expressed confidence in the Usman-led NWC to steer the party over the next four years and ruled out any plan to merge with another political platform, including the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
The Ibadan meeting, convened by opposition leaders, had raised expectations of a unified front against the APC ahead of 2027. However, the LP’s refusal to align with the coalition underscores lingering fragmentation within Nigeria’s opposition landscape.
The development could complicate efforts to build a single challenger capable of mounting a strong contest against the ruling party, potentially splitting opposition votes if multiple parties proceed to field separate presidential candidates.
