Abia State Governor, Dr Alex Otti, has formally kicked off the 2027 Statewide Campaign of the Labour Party, declaring that his administration is seeking another four-year mandate to consolidate the gains recorded in the state over the past three years.
Governor Otti, who made the declaration on Sunday at the Umuahia Township Stadium during the flag-off of the Party’s 2027 campaign themed; “The New Abia- Forward Ever, Backward Never”, presented his deputy, Engr. Ikechukwu Emetu, as the party’s deputy governorship candidate.
Governor Otti said the decision to seek re-election was driven by the need to move Abia from the recovery phase to consolidation and reposition the state to take advantage of emerging economic opportunities.
He described the request for another term as an invitation to the people to sustain the development trajectory of the state and institutionalise excellence, accountability and professionalism in the public service.
“My dear brother and I have presented ourselves as deputy governorship and governorship candidates, respectively, under the umbrella of Labour Party for three connected reasons
“And the first, like I have earlier mentioned, is to move the architecture of governance from rescue to consolidation.
“The second reason is to institutionalize excellence, accountability, and professionalism in public service, thereby guaranteeing that mediocrity and the antiquated political philosophy of the old order are forever banished from our public lives.
“Lastly, we intend to use the next four years, when entrusted, with a renewed mandate to extend the Development Act through policies and investment decisions that reposition the state for the opportunities of the emerging economic order”, he said
The Governor said his administration had made significant progress in addressing the structural challenges that previously hampered development in the state, stressing that the proposed second term would also focus on deepening those achievements and preparing a new generation of leaders to sustain the vision.
He used the occasion to reel out his administration’s achievements in road infrastructure and highlighted interventions in healthcare, education, security, transportation, power, agriculture, industrial development, youth empowerment and social protection, among other sectors, as evidence of the administration’s commitment to transforming Abia.
Governor Otti urged party faithful to return to their respective communities and intensify grassroots mobilisation, expressing confidence that collective effort would secure victory for the Labour Party in the forthcoming elections.
The Governor who further called on Abians to support other Labour Party candidates contesting the Presidential, National Assembly and State House of Assembly elections, urged supporters to mobilise voters across the state’s polling units
“Our job as stakeholders in the weeks and months ahead is to work collectively to make our victory decisive in every polling unit.
“This is not a good time to sit on the fence or make assumptions. Your votes matter”, the Governor said.
He congratulated opposition parties on the successful conduct of their internal selection processes, assuring them of a level playing field ahead of the election.
Governor Otti reiterated his directive that opposition parties should have access to public facilities, including the stadium, for their legitimate political activities, provided they obtained the necessary approvals and fulfilled the stipulated requirements.
He also warned members of his party against intimidating or attacking political opponents, stressing that nobody had his authorisation to disrupt the campaign activities of other parties.
“You do not have my mandate to attack people or to stop people from campaigning. You have no such mandate from me”, he declared.
The Governor challenged opposition parties to focus their campaigns on policy alternatives and verifiable facts rather than personal attacks, insisting that Abia had moved beyond the era when the payment of salaries, pensions and construction of roads could be presented as exceptional achievements.
He maintained that the state’s performance in governance and fiscal accountability rankings provided evidence of the progress recorded under his administration.
In her remarks, the National Chairman of the Labour Party, Senator Nenadi Usman, represented by a member of the National Working Committee, Mr Salisu Mohammed, commended Governor Otti’s performance, describing Abia as a model of good governance and social welfare delivery, and expressed confidence that the state would lead the party’s anticipated victories in 2027.
Also, the Labour Party State Chairman, Chief Peter Azubuike, declared the party’s readiness to secure victory in Abia State in the 2027 general elections, assuring that its mobilisation would extend to every ward and polling unit through door-to-door campaigns.
He said the party was confident of retaining the governorship and winning all National Assembly and State House of Assembly seats, noting that Abians had embraced the administration’s achievements.
Earlier, the Director-General of the Abia State Labour Party Campaign Council, Agwu U. Agwu, said the campaign would be anchored on discipline, loyalty, integrity and issue-based mobilisation, with the administration’s verifiable achievements serving as its strongest campaign message.
The campaign flag-off featured goodwill messages, presentation of party flags to Candidates for the various elective positions including Governor Otti as well as the inauguration of the Labour Party’s Advisory Campaign Council, chaired by the immediate past Deputy Governor the State, Rt. Hon. Ude Oko Chukwu with membership drawn across the 17 LGAs of the State.
The event was preceded by an interdenominational church service, during which prayers were offered for the state, its leadership and
