2027: Wabara urges Otti to join PDP

Ahead of the 2027 general elections, the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Peoples Democratic Party, Senator Adolphus Wabara, has expressed optimism that Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, may consider defecting to the party ahead of his second-term bid.

Wabara said the PDP would not hesitate to field Otti as its governorship candidate in 2027 if he decides to join the party, describing the governor as a valuable asset to any political platform.

The former Senate President spoke in Umuahia on Sunday while fielding questions from journalists, shortly after the launch of the Abia 25-year Development Plan by the state government.

“If he makes up his mind to join the big umbrella, the party would not hesitate to give him the governorship ticket come 2027,” Wabara said, adding that Otti’s performance in office makes him attractive to political parties across the country.

According to him, the growing interest in Otti by different political parties is driven by the governor’s scorecard, which he said would work in his favour in the 2027 election.

Wabara also pointed to the ongoing efforts of the Kabiru Turaki-led National Working Committee of the PDP to reposition and rebrand the party, noting that the exercise has made the party a stronger and more credible alternative for candidates seeking elective offices in 2027, both in Abia State and nationally.

He said the South-East has traditionally been a stronghold of the PDP and argued that Otti’s eventual defection would significantly boost the party’s prospects in the zone and restore it as a major force in Nigeria’s political landscape.

Wabara disclosed that party chieftains are intensifying efforts to reposition the PDP and attract progressive-minded politicians capable of moving the party forward.

He commended Governor Otti and the Abia State Government for the launch of the Abia 25-year Development Plan, describing it as a comprehensive roadmap for a focused “New and Greater Abia.”

Beyond the development plan, Wabara praised the governor’s achievements in road infrastructure, healthcare, education, industry and security, adding that the electric buses procured by the state government for its urban mass transit scheme would offer significant relief to residents amid the prevailing economic hardship.

The PDP BoT chairman said as an elder statesman and stakeholder in Abia politics, he has a moral obligation to acknowledge good governance irrespective of party affiliation.

“Abians are now excited to visit home to see things for themselves. Good governance should not be sacrificed on the altar of partisan politics,” he said.

“Otti has returned Abia to the enviable path of greatness as envisioned by the founding fathers of the state. His joining the PDP would further brighten his chances in 2027.”

Wabara said he felt vindicated for previously praising the governor during the flag-off of the reconstruction of Port Harcourt Road, Aba, a major federal road.

When I hailed the governor’s decision to rehabilitate the strategic but long-abandoned Port Harcourt Road in Aba, some mischief-makers called for my head. Today, I have been vindicated,” he said.

“Abians from different political backgrounds are now celebrating the visible evidence of good governance in the state. Everything should not be reduced to politics.”

He urged Otti to seriously consider joining the PDP, particularly in view of what he described as the “instigated leadership tussle” in the Labour Party.

“It takes deliberate blindness not to see the ongoing transformation in Abia. But in 2027, the governor will need a stronger platform like the PDP, with the national spread and capacity to withstand the antics of the ruling party, which is instigating crises within opposition parties,” Wabara added.

Culled from punch