By John Attah
Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, has warned supporters of the Labour Party against taking the law into their hands or disrupting the campaign activities of opposition parties ahead of the 2027 general elections.
He declared that no political affiliation would shield anyone from arrest for interfering with the lawful activities of rival political parties, insisting that all political groups must be allowed to exercise their democratic rights.
Otti spoke on Sunday in Umuahia during the formal flag-off of the Labour Party’s 2027 campaign in the state. He said his administration would not tolerate political intolerance or attempts to deny opposition parties access to public facilities for legitimate campaign activities.
The governor maintained that opposition parties were free to use public facilities, including stadiums, provided they followed established procedures, obtained the necessary approvals and paid the stipulated fees.
He said security agencies had been directed to ensure that no political group was prevented from holding lawful rallies or other campaign activities.
“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.
In a direct warning to party loyalists, he stressed that membership of the ruling party did not confer immunity on anyone who violated the law or undermined the democratic process.
“You do not have my mandate to attack people or to stop people from campaigning.
“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,” he said.
Beyond the conduct of political campaigns, Otti challenged opposition parties to raise the standard of political debate by presenting alternative policies and development ideas rather than relying on personal attacks or issues he said his administration had already addressed.
According to him, political campaigns in Abia should now focus on the state’s next phase of development rather than basic issues such as salaries, pensions, road construction 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.
“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 said.
The governor urged opposition politicians to study available performance data before making claims about his administration, citing Abia’s ratings in the Citizen Satisfaction Index, State Performance Index and Fiscal Performance Ranking by governance-monitoring organisations.
“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.
He also argued that the experiences of Abians at home and abroad had reinforced external assessments of the state’s development progress, 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 thanked residents for their turnout at the campaign flag-off and urged party supporters to intensify grassroots mobilisation across the state.
Describing the campaign as a collective responsibility, he encouraged members to take the party’s message to communities and persuade more residents to support its candidates.
“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. Invite them to join the campaign so that together we can conclude the journey that began 12 years ago in faith and optimism,” he added.
The highlight of the event was the presentation of party flags to Labour Party candidates for the 2027 National and State Houses of Assembly elections.
The campaign flag-off attracted party members, candidates and supporters from across the state, who turned out in large numbers and chanted solidarity songs in support of their preferred candidates.
