Governor Alex Otti of Abia State has reaffirmed his commitment to the Labour Party, saying he will not defect but will remain to help the party address its internal challenges.
Otti made the statement on Wednesday at the Government House in Umuahia during the December edition of his Monthly Media Chat with journalists, titled “Gov. Otti Speaks with Abia People.”
The governor said he joined the Labour Party before Mr Peter Obi and emphasized that his political future remained firmly rooted in the party, irrespective of any decisions taken by Obi.
“I am not leaving the Labour Party. My responsibility is to stay and contribute to fixing whatever problems exist within the party,” he said.
Otti also announced that construction of the proposed Abia Medical City would commence in 2026, explaining that the timeline was designed to ensure the state secured the best value from investors.
He disclosed that significant work was ongoing across health institutions in the state, including the Abia State University Teaching Hospital (ABSUTH) in Aba, to improve access to quality healthcare services.
The governor acknowledged that primary healthcare centres (PHCs) in the state remained underutilised due to years of public distrust caused by prolonged non-functionality.
“It will take time for people to believe in the PHCs again, given that they were non-functional for many years. However, trust will gradually be rebuilt as people witness improvements,” he said.
Otti further revealed that he had directed the payment of all disengaged staff of Ogbonnaya Onu Polytechnic and Abia State University.
According to him, no affected personnel should still be owed, urging any unpaid staff to report to the relevant authorities of the institutions for verification and submission of their account details.
