2027: LP Will Win ‘Before 2 p.m.’ If Elections Were Held Today, say Abia chairman Azubuike
The Abia State Chairman of the Labour Party, Hon. Peter Azubuike, has declared the party fully consolidated and battle-ready for the 2027 General Elections, saying it would sweep the polls “before 2 p.m.” if the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, conducted elections today.
Azubuike made the assertion on Monday during his first media briefing at the LP State Secretariat in Umuahia.
The chairman said the Labour Party is now the dominant political force in the state, with 184 councillors, 17 local government chairmen, and over 90% of members in the Abia State House of Assembly.
“We are not just the ruling party; we are the most on-ground party in Abia. There is no opposition,” he said. “Abians now feel liberated and proud under Governor Alex Otti. With the masses and the structure, there is no reason to be intimidated going into an election.”
He attributed the party’s growth to recent defections, citing a former All Progressive Grand Alliance governorship aspirant Chief Reagan Ofomba and Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe as examples.
Azubuike said the party adopted a consensus and affirmation model for its primaries to avoid rancour after years of internal crisis. He dismissed reports that only one nomination form was sold in some constituencies, insisting multiple aspirants picked forms where there was no consensus.
“In the Labour Party, it is not ‘winner takes all.’ When one person wins, all of us win. That ‘Papa, Mama, Pekin’ family ideology is driving us,” he stated. He added that aspirants who did not get tickets have been integrated into campaign councils.
Responding to concerns over a faction loyal to Julius Abure producing parallel candidates, Azubuike said INEC only recognises the Senator Nenadi Usman-led leadership.
“That faction is like ‘a snake whose head has been cut off.’ The door remains open for them to return. There is no parallel Labour Party,” he said, expressing confidence in the judiciary to uphold the party’s position.
*Performance Over Incumbency*
On the controversy surrounding the Osisioma/Obingwa/Ugwunagbo Federal Constituency ticket, Azubuike said the party considered performance. He cited the incumbent’s loss of the ticket and defended the emergence of Rep. Amobi Ogah, whom he described as “one of the best-performing” federal lawmakers in the country.
“You don’t remove one of the best players from the pitch. In less than four years, Ogah has shown impact in empowerment and performance,” he said.
Asked about the impact of Peter Obi’s absence ahead of 2027, Azubuike drew a distinction between the “Obi wave” and the “Otti wave” in Abia.
“Otti has been a force since 2015. Obi visited, but Otti carried the campaign in Abia. He has built a solid team from ward to state level. Let’s wait for 2027,” he said.
The chairman also disclosed that the party is addressing logistics challenges by distributing vehicles to State Working Committee members and later to LGAs, adding that “financially, we are very good.”