Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, has said he is still a member of the Labour Party, noting that while he remains in the party for now, the future is uncertain.

The governor stated this on Thursday during the January 2026 edition of his monthly media interaction, where he responded to questions on the leadership crisis within the Labour Party.

According to Otti, “We are on the right side. We have maintained that Abure’s tenure has expired and we went to court, which affirmed that.

“So, the Court judgment confirmed actually that his tenure has expired and advised people to obey court decisions to save the courts from unnecessary troubles.

“We are not in election period. If election comes, we will still run under the Labour Party, but nobody knows tomorrow. But today, I am still in the Labour Party.”

Commenting on reported plans by former governors to sue him over his decision not to reside in the Abia State Government House, Otti said he is prepared to face any legal action for operating from his country home in Nvosi, Isialangwa South Local Government Area.

He said, “Well, I am waiting to be sued. My lawyers are prepared. I have looked at the constitution, there is no provision that I must live somewhere.

“But then, the state in which they left the Government House was…, I am sure, you are aware of this. I don’t owe them that explanation.”

Earlier, the governor reviewed developments across key sectors of the Abia economy since his last media interaction in December, highlighting progress in education and other areas.

He said school enrolment in the state has increased to over 300,000, while the recruitment of about 4,000 teachers is ongoing.

Otti also disclosed that the state government plans to digitally identify and rate hotels and hospitality facilities across Abia using the Global Positioning System to improve regulation and service delivery.

He said the state will “digitally create and rate every hotel and hospitality facility in the state.

“In the next few months, all the hotels will be assessed using verified criteria. At the click of a button, speedy hotels get their rates.” (TRIBUNE)

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