Abia State Governor Alex Otti, has declared that he is close to President Bola Tinubu and does not need to join the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC.
Chronicle NG reported that the Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori and his predecessor, Ifeanyi Okowa, joined the APC lately, as did members of the State House of Assembly elected on the Peoples Democratic Party platform.
During their official reception on Monday, Okowa, who was the PDP’s vice-presidential candidate in the 2023 elections, said he and his successor joined the ruling party to connect Delta State to Aso Rock.
However, in an interview with Arise Television on Friday, Otti refuted the concept that joining the ruling party is required to gain access to the president.
The governor, in response to allegations that he intended to leave the Labour Party for the APC, emphasised that not everyone must join the ruling party.
When asked if he needed to defect to be near the centre like Okowa and Oborevwori, Otti replied, “I am even closer to the centre than some of them.
“Governor Otti is not decamping, and my party is not on shaky ground.
“This is democracy, and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu held on to his Alliance for Democracy, Action Congress, and Action Congress of Nigeria before becoming APC. If he had defected, he wouldn’t be president today. Sometimes, you also have to stand for something.”
Speaking on the leadership crisis rocking the Labour Party, Otti stated that he was uncertain about his future in the party.
He said, “I am not God. I cannot say if there’ll still be an LP tomorrow.”
The governor also mentioned that the National Chairman of the party, Julius Abure, was no longer the party’s leader, as his tenure had expired, adding that a Caretaker Committee is currently in charge of the party.
