Governor Alex Otti of Abia State has clarified that he maintains a close relationship with President Bola Tinubu without needing to join the All Progressives Congress (APC).

This statement comes shortly after Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori and his predecessor, Ifeanyi Okowa—alongside PDP members of the State House of Assembly—defected to the APC. At their official reception on Monday, Okowa, who was the PDP’s vice-presidential candidate in the 2023 elections, explained that the move was aimed at aligning Delta State more closely with the federal government.

Speaking in a Friday interview with Arise Television, Governor Otti dismissed the belief that political alignment with the APC is necessary to foster closeness with the president.

Responding to rumors that he might leave the Labour Party for the APC, the governor clarified that not everyone needs to join the ruling party.

When asked if he needed to defect to align with the centre like Okowa and Oborevwori, Otti replied, “I am even closer to the centre than some of them.”

He further stated, “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.”

Regarding the leadership crisis in the Labour Party, Otti expressed uncertainty about his future in the party, saying, “I am not God. I cannot say if there’ll still be an LP tomorrow.”

He also added that Julius Abure, the National Chairman of the party, was no longer its leader because his tenure had expired, and a Caretaker Committee is now in charge.