Abia State Governor, Dr Alex Chioma Otti, has declared that he remains a member of the Labour Party, even as he acknowledged that political alignments can change with time, noting pointedly that “nobody knows tomorrow.”
Governor Otti made the clarification on Thursday during the January 2026 edition of his monthly media interaction with journalists in Umuahia, where he responded to questions on party politics, governance decisions and key policy directions of his administration.
Addressing the lingering leadership crisis within the Labour Party, the governor reiterated his position that the tenure of the party’s former national chairman, Julius Abure, had expired, a stance he said was validated by the courts.
“We are on the right side,” Otti said. “We have consistently maintained that Abure’s tenure has expired, and we went to court. The court affirmed that his tenure had indeed expired and advised everyone to obey court judgments in order not to overburden the judiciary with avoidable disputes.”
He stressed that the issue should not be politicised unnecessarily, especially outside an election season. According to him, there is no immediate reason to speculate about future political platforms when the next election cycle is still distant.
“We are not in an election period,” the governor said. “When election time comes, we will still run under the Labour Party. But nobody knows tomorrow. What is important is that today, I am still in the Labour Party.”
Governor Otti also reacted to reports that some former governors were considering legal action against him over his decision not to reside in the Abia State Government House. He said he was unperturbed by such threats and challenged anyone with a contrary interpretation of the law to test it in court.
“I am waiting to be sued,” he stated firmly. “My lawyers are prepared. I have looked at the constitution very carefully, and there is no provision anywhere that says a governor must live in a particular building.”
The governor explained that his decision to operate from his country home in Nvosi, Isialangwa South Local Government Area, was informed by the state in which the Government House was left by previous administrations. However, he declined to go into details, saying he did not owe his predecessors any explanation.
“The condition in which they left the Government House was something everyone is aware of,” Otti said. “Beyond that, I do not owe them any further clarification.”
Earlier in the interaction, the governor presented an overview of his administration’s activities across critical sectors of the Abia economy since his last media briefing in December. He highlighted notable progress in education, describing it as one of the core pillars of his government’s reform agenda.
According to Otti, school enrolment across the state has risen significantly, now exceeding 300,000 pupils and students. He attributed the increase to policies aimed at restoring confidence in public education, improving infrastructure and strengthening teacher welfare.
In addition, he disclosed that the recruitment of about 4,000 teachers was still ongoing, a move he said would help address manpower gaps and improve learning outcomes across primary and secondary schools.
Beyond education, the governor unveiled plans to introduce a digital rating and monitoring system for hotels and hospitality facilities across the state. He explained that the initiative would rely on modern technology to enhance transparency, regulation and ease of access for visitors and investors.
“We are going to digitally create and rate every hotel and hospitality facility in Abia State,” Otti said. “In the next few months, all hotels will be assessed using verified criteria and integrated with the Global Positioning System. At the click of a button, visitors will be able to see hotels and their ratings.”
He noted that the policy would not only improve standards within the hospitality sector but also boost tourism, security and internally generated revenue, as government would have accurate, real-time data on hospitality businesses operating in the state.
Governor Otti reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to governance anchored on the rule of law, institutional reform and economic revival, stressing that political distractions would not derail his focus.
“Our responsibility is to deliver good governance to the people of Abia,” he said. “Politics should not take precedence over service, accountability and development.”
The media interaction ended with the governor assuring residents that his government would continue to engage openly with the public while pushing forward reforms designed to reposition Abia State for sustainable growth.
