Labour Party Firmly Positioned to Retain Power in Abia Come 2027 — State Chairman

The Chairman of Labour Party (LP), Abia State, Hon. Peter Azubuike, said the party is firmly positioned to retain power in the state, declaring that it would emerge victorious before the end of voting if elections were conducted today.

Azubuike made the declaration on Monday during his interactive session with newsmen at the Party Secretariat in Umuahia.

The session was used to review the activities of the new state executive in its first 100 days in office as well as field questions on the party’s preparations for the 2027 general elections.

Azubuike attributed his confidence to what he described as the party’s growing grassroots presence and the performance of Governor Alex Otti, which he said had continued to attract more supporters to the party.

He maintained that the Labour Party has strengthened its structures across the 17 local government areas, boasting elected councillors, local government chairmen and a majority in the Abia State House of Assembly.

“If elections were conducted today, before 2 p.m., we would have won our election. You can take that to the bank,” he said.

“We are more on ground than any other party in Abia. People are still joining the Labour Party because they can see what this government is doing.”

He disclosed that the new leadership devoted its first three months in office to reconciling members, resolving internal disagreements and developing a roadmap to reposition the party ahead of future elections.

On the party’s recently concluded primaries, Azubuike said the consensus option was adopted after extensive consultations with stakeholders to preserve unity and prevent unnecessary disputes.

“The Labour Party has gone through a lot. We didn’t want to return to an era of internal crisis. That is why we adopted consensus, and today those who did not get tickets are still working with the party,” he said.

He dismissed concerns over the emergence of parallel candidates by the Abure-led faction, insisting that the recognised Labour Party remained united and that the development posed no threat to the party’s fortunes.

“There is no worry at all. Labour Party remains one family. Those parading parallel forms are simply seeking attention. If they decide to return, our doors are open,” he said.

Responding to concerns that the consensus arrangement favoured incumbent lawmakers, Azubuike maintained that the party considered both performance and electability before arriving at its decisions.

“There were lawmakers who were denied tickets because of poor performance.

“We looked at every case carefully. Our goal was to reward performance while keeping the party united,” he added.

Azubuike acknowledged that the party inherited some operational challenges, particularly in logistics and mobility, but said those issues were already being addressed.

“We don’t dwell on challenges; we solve them.

“Financially, we are stable, and in the coming weeks, we will begin distributing vehicles to members of the State Working Committee before extending the exercise to the local government level,” he said.

Azubuike also rejected claims that Otti’s victory in the 2023 governorship election was solely a product of the “Obi wave.”

According to him, Otti had built a formidable political structure in Abia years before the 2023 elections.

“Gov. Otti’s popularity did not start in 2023. He has built that support since 2015. Peter Obi’s popularity complemented it, but Otti already had a solid base in Abia,” he said.

He expressed optimism that the party would consolidate on Gov. Otti’s achievements and retain power in the next general election.

“Our focus is to continue strengthening the party and supporting the government to deliver more dividends of democracy to the people of Abia,” Azubuike Concluded.