Dr. Alex Otti Led Abia Labour Party faction , has found themself in a precarious situation, largely due to his heavy-handed approach and lack of political finesse.

Dr. Otti, who had initially reneged on his campaign promise to conduct local government elections upon assuming office, was compelled to rethink his stance following a landmark Supreme Court judgment initiated by the Attorney General of the Federation.

This ruling mandated that all subnational governments must conduct local government elections or face the termination of federal allocations to the councils.

Frustrated by this development, Dr. Otti swiftly moved to amend the laws governing local government elections and set a date for the polls.

However, he bypassed key political processes, neglecting to consult with the national executive committee (EXCO) of the Labour Party or its stakeholders.

Instead, he handpicked candidates and awarded them tickets without approval from the national leadership.

In response, the Abure-led faction of the party held a parallel congress, selecting their own candidates for the chairmanship and councillorship positions ahead of the upcoming council elections.

Anticipating that the Abure faction might prevail in court, Otti turned to the Action Peoples Party (APP), seeking to have his preferred candidates run under the party’s platform.

However, the APP demanded that 50% of the candidates be their own, leaving Otti with the remaining half. Otti rejected this arrangement, as it did not align with his plans.

He then approached the Young Progressives Party (YPP), whose chairman, coincidentally also the chairman of the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC), requested to field candidates for his local government, Umuahia North, and for Osisioma.

He even suggested Dr. Victor Ikeji, one of Otti’s billionaire mayors, as his preferred candidate for Umuahia North.

However, Otti had already submitted his loyalists’ names to the Abia State Independent Electoral Commission (ABSIEC) and did not agree with the proposal.

Further attempts to secure a favorable deal with the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) were also unsuccessful. Otti’s political adviser was sent to engage a former state chairman of the Labour Party—whom Otti had not spoken to in months—in a last-ditch effort to resolve the political deadlock.

Otti’s current predicament is reminiscent of his time in the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), where his autocratic leadership style severely damaged the party’s fortunes in Abia State, reducing a once-thriving political machine to a state of disarray.

His track record in public service further compounds concerns. The condition of First Bank, still struggling to recover from bad loans accrued during his tenure, and the demise of Diamond Bank due to corruption during his time there, raise the question: does everything Otti touch ultimately fail?

This crisis within the Labour Party may be a harbinger of its imminent decline, leaving Abia’s political landscape in turmoil once again.

Credit: NwokeukwuMascot.com

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