Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, on Sunday flagged off the Labour Party’s 2027 campaign in Umuahia, retaining his deputy, Ikechukwu Emetu, as his running mate.
This was even as he directed that opposition parties should not be restrained from using public facilities in the state.
According to Otti, the plan, if entrusted with another mandate, was to use the next four years to expand development through policies and investment decisions that would reposition the state for the opportunities of the emerging economic order.
Otti said, “At inception twelve years ago, we came to you with a message of hope, a commitment to lead the democratic crusade for the souls of our dear state. We never deterred in our commitment because, like us, you have also borne the shame and frustration of governance failure, institutional collapse, and the misery of living like a conquered population.”
He said, “Abia is ripe for a new political system, one that prioritises the development and welfare of the people over the vainglory of sycophants and unnamed acolytes.
“After the man-made disappointments of 2015 and 2019, this siege was broken in 2023, and in a little over three years, thick clouds of despair have parted, a long nightmare has ended, and the light of renewal, restoration and prosperity has risen over our dear state.”
Reviewing his achievements across all sectors of Abia’s economy, Otti said, “With a fresh mandate in the February 6, 2027, governorship elections, we shall raise the bar even higher and set Abia on the path of irreversible progress through bold leadership, investments in factor assets, and multilevel partnership for prosperity.”
On the 2027 campaigns by political parties in the state, the governor said, “The beauty of democracy is the plurality of options it offers all of us, which is why this administration made it clear that the rascality of years to years will have no place in Abia State anymore.
“I have since given a public directive, and I am repeating it here, that opposition parties should not be restricted from using public facilities, including the stadium, once they apply, obtain the necessary approvals and meet the required frameworks.”
Otti enjoined security agencies to arrest and deal decisively with anyone who attempted to obstruct any political group from holding its legitimate activities.
Addressing security agencies, he said, “You do not have my mandate to attack people or to stop people from campaigning.
“You have no such mandate from me. Even then, my advice to all of us is to restrict ourselves to the issues that are relevant to our people, sell your manifesto and leave out unnecessary personal attacks. Do not, however, forget that in Abia, we have gone past the era of campaigning with the payment of salaries and pensions, construction of roads and urban sanitation.”
Otti also announced the decision to retain the deputy governor as his running mate for the next election.
He said, “It is an invitation made in humility, calling on you to join Engr. Ikechukwu Emetu and me as we seek a fresh mandate for another term of four years to consolidate on the multisectoral gains this administration has recorded in the last 41 months under our stewardship.
“My dear brother and I have presented ourselves as deputy governorship and governorship candidates, respectively, under the umbrella of the Labour Party for three connected reasons. The first, as I have earlier mentioned, is to move the architecture of governance from rescue to consolidation.”
In his speech, the Labour Party state chairman, Peter Azubuike, said, “LP is out to win and will clear all elections in Abia. It is LP all the way, as no opposition party is existing in the state.”
Earlier, during the church service, the Methodist Archbishop of Umuahia, Chibuzo Opoko, and Emma Okorie of the Living Word Ministry prayed for the success of the next governorship election in the state.
Also speaking, the National Chairman of the LP, Nenadi Usman, who was represented by the Deputy National Chairman, Nuhu Mohammed, described the occasion as a “carnival, beyond campaign, to solidify support for Otti.”
He urged Abians to support the governor, whom he said boasted of impeccable integrity.