The Governor of Abia State, Dr Alex Otti, has called for unity, structural consolidation and disciplined grassroots mobilisation within the Labour Party as the foundation for a stronger performance in the 2027 general elections.
Otti, who was represented by his deputy, Engr. Ikechukwu Emetu, made the call at a one-day High-Level Strategic Multi-Level Stakeholders’ Summit held at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja.
The summit was organised by the party’s national leadership in collaboration with the political commissions of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC).
With the theme, “Reuniting the Labour Family: Consolidating Strength for Sustainable Political Impact in the 2027 General Elections,” the gathering brought together party leaders, labour representatives, lawmakers, and youth and women’s groups to deliberate on the party’s future direction.
Otti stressed that internal cohesion would determine the party’s electoral fortunes.
“Politics, like governance, thrives on unity of purpose,” he said. “The strength of any political movement lies not merely in numbers, but in cohesion, clarity of vision, discipline and shared conviction.”
He pointed to developments in Abia State under his administration as evidence of what the party represents, describing it as a model of purposeful governance, accountability and people-centred development that should be replicated nationally.
According to him, reuniting the party must go beyond reconciling differences to rebuilding trust, strengthening structures, and ensuring inclusiveness from ward to national level.
Looking ahead to 2027, he underscored the need for early preparation, strategic coordination and sustained grassroots engagement, noting that electoral victories are built over time through consistent connection with the electorate and credible governance.
Also speaking, the party’s Acting National Chairman, Nenadi Usman, said the party had drawn important lessons from the 2023 general elections and must now rebuild on a solid grassroots foundation anchored on labour institutions.
She emphasised that effective political organisation begins with credible membership registration at the polling-unit level, facilitated through the NLC, TUC and their affiliated unions.
The acting national chairman observed that the absence of a comprehensive grassroots membership structure in 2023 posed challenges for planning and post-election litigation.
Usman called for the development of a reliable membership database and the deployment of registered members as polling-unit agents during elections.
She stressed the importance of systematically collecting and safeguarding Form EC8A at every polling unit to protect the party’s votes.
She urged state chairmen and union leaders to return home with clear strategies for mass membership registration and validation, insisting that no durable political structure can thrive without a strong foundation.
In his remarks, Acting Chairman of the NLC Political Commission, Comrade Stephen Okoro, described the renewed collaboration between the party and the labour movement as a restoration of its ideological roots.
He assured stakeholders that workers nationwide would be mobilised in their millions to participate actively in the forthcoming national membership registration and validation exercise. According to him, workers are foundational stakeholders in the party whose commitment would strengthen both its ideological base and electoral prospects.
The summit ended with renewed commitments by party leaders and labour institutions to deepen unity, expand grassroots structures, and build a disciplined electoral framework capable of mobilising, documenting and defending votes nationwide in 2027.
Among those in attendance were members of the National Assembly and other key stakeholders from across the country.
