Abia LP Chairman Clarifies Governor’s Remark on Supporting Alternative Candidates in Council Polls
The Labour Party (LP) Chairman in Abia State, Emmanuel Otti, has dismissed rumors that Governor Alex Otti worked against the party in the last local government election. The party surprisingly lost to candidates of the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) in the election.
Otti, speaking with a leading newspaper, was asked about the governor’s statement asking his supporters to vote for any candidate they believed would provide good governance. The LP chairman clarified that the governor never intended for his supporters to contest under a different party, explaining that the governor is an LP member and the leader of the party in Abia State.
The governor, Otti further explained, simply acknowledged the electorate’s constitutional right to choose their preferred candidate, just like a parent might allow their children to make their own decisions in a similar manner. He and the state LP chairman, Otti, personally voted for their chosen candidates in the election.
The governor’s statement, therefore, was not a suggestion that his supporters should abandon the LP, but rather a recognition of the people’s inherent right to decide who they want to lead them. Ultimately, the people at the grassroots level know the contestants and are familiar with their profiles, regardless of the political party affiliation.
