Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, has distanced the Labour Party (LP) from the recent opposition summit in Ibadan, Oyo State, insisting the party is not bound by its resolutions and will present its own presidential candidate in the 2027 elections.
The Ibadan meeting, attended by opposition figures across parties including the African Democratic Congress (ADC), a faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), had proposed a unified front with a single presidential candidate.
However, speaking on Thursday, April 30, in Abuja after a National Working Committee (NWC) meeting chaired by Nenadi Usman, Otti made it clear that the LP did not participate in the gathering.
“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.
“We are a political party. So if you are a party member and want to run, we will give you a ticket.”
Otti stressed that the party remains committed to its internal processes and will organise its own convention to produce candidates for the general election.
He also spoke on reconciliation efforts within the party, noting that the leadership is working to reunite members who had previously been at odds, including former national chairman, Julius Abure.
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“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.”
The governor expressed confidence in the Nenadi Usman-led leadership to guide the party in the coming years and reiterated that the LP has no plans to merge with any other political platform.
He maintained that the party would pursue its electoral ambitions independently as preparations for 2027 intensify.