The Labour Party (LP) has pushed back an attempt by the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, to woo the Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, to the ruling All Progressives Congres (APC).
Akpabio, during the 70th birthday celebration of Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe held on Saturday in Abia State, praised Otti’s developmental strides in the state.
However, the Senate President’s remarks took a political turn when he suggested that Otti would receive even greater recognition if he joined the APC.
“Congratulations, my governor. I have already started seeing your work, but I can’t stand here and praise you because you are in the Labour Party. You are still labouring. The day you join the APC, you will hear the kind of praise I will give you,” Akpabio quipped.
But the LP National Publicity Secretary, Obiora Ifoh, in an interview with The PUNCH on Sunday, dismissed any notion of Otti defecting to the APC.
He reaffirmed the governor’s loyalty to the LP and its vision for Nigeria.
Ifoh said: “In politics, it’s normal for parties to try and woo others, but Governor Alex Otti remains committed to the Labour Party. He has assured us he’s going nowhere.”
He pointed to LP’s growing influence and success in contrast to what he described as the failures of APC-led states.
“The fact that other parties want him shows the strength of the Labour Party’s ideology and the remarkable work being done in Abia State. Unlike many APC states that have struggled, our LP state shows serious commitment to human development, infrastructure, and empowerment,” the spokesman added.
Source: Ripples