Abia State Governor Alex Otti has confirmed that he remains a member of the Labour Party (LP), the platform that propelled him to victory in the 2023 elections, even as several opposition governors defect to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

Speaking on Thursday during his monthly media interaction, Otti addressed questions on the ongoing leadership crisis within the LP. He said, “We are on the right side. We have maintained that Abure’s tenure has expired, and we went to court, which affirmed that. The court judgement confirmed that his tenure has expired and advised people to obey court decisions to save the courts from unnecessary troubles.”

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

Last week, a Federal High Court in Abuja ruled that the Nenadi Usman-led national caretaker committee is the authentic leadership of the LP the faction Governor Otti supports. The court also directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to recognise the Usman-led faction.

However, the rival Julius Abure-led faction has vowed to appeal the judgement, keeping the party leadership tussle alive.