The Labour Party has explained why Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, was not subjected to the party’s screening exercise ahead of the 2027 governorship election.
The party said Governor Otti was granted a waiver by its leadership and therefore did not need to appear before the screening panel like other aspirants seeking the party’s ticket.
Speaking during the presentation of the screening outcome, Labour Party National Chairman and head of the screening committee, Nenadi Usman, said the governor was exempted because of his position within the party and his contributions to its growth.
She stated that the party leadership had earlier obtained the nomination forms on behalf of the governor and officially presented them to him at a ceremony organised by the National Working Committee.
According to her, the party considered it unnecessary for Otti to undergo the same screening process as other aspirants.
“Is it possible for the leader of the House to come for screening, just like it’s done in other parties? In the party that he nurtures?” she said.
“Well, we had waived off screening for him. We gave him a waiver. We took the forms and gave them to him and told him we didn’t expect him to pay anything for it. We also had a ceremony where we presented the forms to him. Not just his form, but several other forms.”
The Labour Party leadership said the gesture was aimed at appreciating the governor for what it described as his strong representation of the party in government.
Usman commended Otti’s administration in Abia State, saying the governor had continued to uphold the ideals of fairness, equal opportunities and social justice which the party stands for.
She added that the decision to hand him the forms free of charge was also meant to encourage him to continue delivering good governance to the people of the state.
Governor Otti is seeking a second term in office under the Labour Party platform and remains one of the party’s most influential figures ahead of the 2027 elections.