The governor of Abia State, Alex Otti, has said the Labour Party (LP) remains a formidable political force despite the departure of Peter Obi, the party’s former presidential candidate.
Otti made the remarks on Saturday night during the party’s national working committee (NWC) meeting held in Abuja.
Peter Obi formally defected to the African Democratic Congress (ADC) on December 31.
While acknowledging that the LP has lost some members — including lawmakers and interim national committee officials — through defections, the governor maintained that the party’s strength remains intact.
Otti said the party regrets Obi’s exit but is actively working to heal internal rifts and rebuild unity within its ranks.
“We regret the exit of our former leader and presidential candidate. While we regret it, we are working to resolve the problems in the party so that everyone can come together and make the party stronger,” he said.
“In my opinion, the party should come together and become a stronger force. We have also lost a few members to defection, especially some national assembly members, interim national committee members, but despite that, we are still a very strong force.”
To address lingering internal disputes, Otti disclosed that the NWC has resolved to set up a reconciliation committee to engage aggrieved members and encourage their return to the party.
“We need to set up a reconciliation committee. The national working committee advised us on how to set up the committee,” he said.
“The idea is to reconcile everyone who is willing and desires to come back to the party.”
He specifically appealed to the faction led by Julius Abure to embrace peace and return to the party.
“I call on Julius Abure and his team to sheathe their swords and come back to the party. Once they are willing to abide by the rules, we will be happy to receive them,” Otti added.
The governor also announced plans to conduct congresses from the ward level through to the national level, starting in March, ahead of the party’s national convention.
“The congresses will happen, and the national convention will pave the way for the progress of the party,” he said.
According to Otti, a committee has also been constituted to validate the party’s membership register and supervise the registration of new members.
He further stated that the Labour Party has no intention of joining any political coalition, describing the party as “a coalition itself”.
“For now, we have no intention of joining any other coalition. Peter Obi has made a decision to leave the Labour Party to join ADC, and we wish him well,” Otti said.
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Otti commended the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for updating its website to reflect the Nenadi Usman-led NWC, describing it as a significant step towards stabilising the party.
Last month, a Federal High Court in Abuja ruled that the Usman-led national caretaker committee is the authentic leadership of the Labour Party.
The presiding judge, Peter Lifu, also ordered INEC to recognise the Usman-led NWC, although the faction led by Julius Abure has indicated its intention to appeal the ruling.