By Steve Oko & Ugochukwu Alaribe

UMUAHIA – Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, has cautioned supporters of the Labour Party against taking the law into their hands or interfering with the campaign activities of rival political parties ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The governor warned that no political affiliation would shield anyone from arrest for disrupting the lawful activities of opposition parties, stressing that political competition must be conducted within the ambit of the law.

Otti spoke on Sunday in Umuahia while formally flagging off the Labour Party’s 2027 campaign in the state, where he declared that his administration would not tolerate political intolerance or the denial of opponents’ democratic rights.

He said opposition parties were free to use public facilities, including stadiums, provided they complied with established procedures, obtained necessary approvals and paid the stipulated fees.

Reiterating his position, the governor said security agencies had been instructed to ensure that no political group was prevented from holding legitimate 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 strong message to party loyalists, he warned against assuming that membership of the ruling party conferred immunity for acts capable of undermining 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 campaigns, Otti challenged opposition parties to raise the quality of political debate by offering alternative policy directions rather than relying on personal attacks or recycling issues he said had been addressed by his administration.

According to him, the political conversation in Abia should now be centred on development priorities and the next phase of governance rather than basic issues such as salaries, pensions, roads 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,” the governor said.

He urged political opponents to interrogate available performance data before making claims about the state, pointing to 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.

The governor also argued that the experiences of Abians within and outside the country had lent credibility to external assessments of the state’s development trajectory, 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, who expressed appreciation to residents for their turnout at the campaign flag-off, called on party supporters to intensify grassroots mobilisation and take the message of the party to communities across the state.

“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.

Highlight of the event was the presentation of the party flag to national and state house of assembly candidates of Labour Party for the 2027 polls.

The event was massively attended by party members including the candidates for the various elections and their supporters who were competing for recognition as they chanted solidarity songs for their various candidates.

2027: Otti warns supporters not to disturb other parties' campaigns

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