Abia State Governor Alex Otti has warned Labour Party supporters against attacking opposition parties or disrupting their campaign activities ahead of the 2027 general elections, declaring that party membership will not shield anyone from arrest.
Otti spoke on Sunday in Umuahia while formally flagging off the Labour Party’s 2027 campaign in the state.
He declared that his administration would not tolerate political intolerance or the denial of opponents’ democratic rights
The governor said opposition parties are free to use public facilities, including stadiums, provided they comply with established procedures, obtain necessary approvals, and pay the stipulated fees.
“I have since given a public directive, and I am repeating it here, that opposition parties should not be restricted from the use of public facilities, including the stadium, once they apply and obtain the necessary approvals,” Otti said.
He warned party loyalists against assuming that membership in the ruling party conferred immunity for acts capable of undermining the democratic process.
“You do not have my mandate to attack people or to stop people from campaigning,” he said.
“Security agencies have been mandated to arrest and deal decisively with anyone who attempts to obstruct any political group from holding their legitimate activities, even if they are Labour Party members. I hope I am heard clearly.”
Raising the Quality of Debate
Beyond campaign conduct, Otti challenged opposition parties to raise the quality of political debate by offering alternative policy directions rather than relying on personal attacks or recycling issues he said his administration had addressed.
He argued that the political conversation in Abia should now center on development priorities and the next phase of governance rather than basic issues such as salaries, pensions, roads, and environmental sanitation.
“Do not forget that in Abia we have gone past the era of campaigning on the payment of salaries and pensions, construction of roads or urban sanitation,” he said.
“The hygiene issues have been dealt with. If you are unable to raise your campaign pitch to the development realities of our state, you will definitely struggle to convince any informed voter.”
He urged political opponents to interrogate available performance data before making claims about the state, pointing to Abia’s ratings in the Citizen Satisfaction Index, State Performance Index, and Fiscal Performance Ranking by governance-monitoring organizations.
“You should go and do your research first before coming out to open your mouth, because there are data everywhere to show what has been achieved. Evidently, the world knows that Abia is on the right track,” Otti said.
“This Is Your Project”
The governor argued that the experiences of Abians within and outside the country had lent credibility to external assessments of the state’s development trajectory, adding that multilateral institutions had opened development assistance opportunities for Abia.
“It would therefore be unthinkable that anyone will ever be allowed to return us to the old era of irresponsibility and misery,” he declared.
Otti expressed appreciation to residents for their turnout at the campaign flag-off and called on party supporters to intensify grassroots mobilization.
“This is your project, and as you return to the communities, knock on every door and remind our people that we still have a job to complete,” he said.
“Invite them to join the campaign so that together we can conclude the journey that began 12 years ago in faith and optimism.”
