Wabara woos Otti to join PDP for 2027 re-election bid

Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Adolphus Wabara, has expressed confidence that Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, will defect from the Labour Party to the PDP to seek a second term in 2027.

Wabara, who spoke with journalists in Umuahia, described Otti as a major asset to any political platform, noting that the PDP would readily present him as its governorship candidate should he join the party.

He attributed the growing interest in the governor across party lines to his performance in office, particularly the recent launch of a 25-year Abia Development Plan, which he described as a visionary blueprint for a new and greater Abia.

The former Senate President praised Otti’s achievements in road infrastructure, citing the reconstruction of the long-abandoned Port Harcourt Road in Aba, as well as strides in healthcare, education, industry, and security. He also commended the procurement of electric buses for the state’s urban mass transit scheme, saying the initiative would ease economic hardship for residents.

“As an elder statesman and stakeholder in Abia politics, I have a moral duty to acknowledge good governance irrespective of party affiliation,” Wabara said, adding that many Abians are now eager to return home due to visible improvements across the state.

He stressed that good governance should rise above partisan considerations and said he had been vindicated for earlier commending Otti’s handling of the Port Harcourt Road project, despite criticisms from some quarters.

Wabara urged the governor to seriously consider joining the PDP, citing what he described as an instigated leadership tussle within the Labour Party. He argued that the PDP’s national spread and organisational capacity would offer a stronger platform to counter the ruling party in 2027.

According to him, the South-East remains a traditional stronghold of the PDP, and Otti’s defection would further strengthen the party’s prospects in the zone.

Wabara also disclosed that PDP elders were working to reposition and rebrand the party under the Tanimu Turaki-led National Working Committee to make it more attractive to progressives ahead of the 2027 general elections.

On national issues, he called for unity against attempts to turn Nigeria into a one-party state and commended the House of Representatives for approving mandatory electronic transmission of election results.

Expressing optimism about the party’s future, Wabara said the PDP’s “gloomy days are over,” predicted the return of defectors, and forecast an eventual implosion within the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).