Umuahia: Gov. Alex Otti of Abia has emerged as the consensus candidate in the Labour Party (LP) Governorship Primary Election in Abia, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports. NAN reports that all candidates for the State House of Assembly, House of Representatives, and the Senate emerged through a consensus candidature process.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, the party conducted primary elections in which members in all the political wards of the state overwhelmingly endorsed the consensus candidates. In her speech, while announcing the results in Umuahia, the Returning Officer for the Labour Party Primary elections in Abia, Mrs. Oluchi Opara, affirmed that the exercise was conducted through a direct primary across the state’s political wards. Opara, who is also the party’s Electoral Committee Chairman, stated that the primary election was held in substantial compliance with the provisions of the Labour Party Constitution. She also said that the exercise was conducted in compliance with the Electoral Act 2026, and the Labour Party Electoral Guidelines 2026.
She mentioned that upon the conclusion of voting and the collation of results from various local government areas, the committee duly compiled and authenticated the outcome of the exercise in accordance with the party’s guidelines and applicable electoral laws. The National Secretary of the Labour Party, Chief Acho Obioma, said that the party’s primary election was successfully conducted across the wards in the state, with widespread participation by members. Obioma described the exercise as peaceful and orderly, noting that no incidents were recorded during the conduct of the election. He commended party members for their conduct and praised electoral officials for effectively discharging their responsibilities at the ward level.
According to him, the successful completion of the primary marks the beginning of the party’s next phase of political engagement and expansion. He expressed satisfaction with the outcome of the exercise, saying it culminated in a transparent and peaceful process. In his acceptance speech, Gov. Otti commended the party’s electoral and primary election committees for conducting a peaceful and credible primary election across the state. The governor said that no adverse reports were received from any part of the state, describing the process as orderly and transparent. He also lauded the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), election observers, and members of the monitoring teams for overseeing the exercise.
The governor congratulated all candidates who emerged from the primaries and formally accepted his nomination on behalf of the party. According to him, the successful conduct of the primaries demonstrated the party’s capacity to manage internal processes without rancor or violence. Otti attributed the peaceful outcome to the efforts of party leaders who worked in the weeks leading to the exercise to resolve disagreements and build consensus across constituencies. He urged the candidates not to regard their emergence as the end of the political process but as the beginning of the task of engaging voters ahead of the general election. He encouraged the candidates to reach beyond party members and engage undecided voters, stressing the need to persuade more people to support Labour Party candidates at the polls. Otti expressed confidence in the party’s prospects, noting that participation in the primaries reflected growing grassroots support and enthusiasm among members across the state.
The candidates for the State House of Assembly included Mr. Boniface Isienyi for Ikwuano State Constituency, Mr. Chinedu Okorie for Bende South State Constituency, Mr. Uchenna Okoro for Arochukwu State Constituency, and others across various constituencies. For the House of Representatives, candidates included Mr. Alex Ikwecheghe for Aba North and South, Aguocha Obinna for Ikwuano/Umuahia Federal Constituency, and Chief Okwara Osonwa for Arochukwu Ohafia, among others. Senate candidates included Sen. Darlington Nwokocha for Abia Central Senatorial District, David Ogba for Abia North, and Sen. Enyinnaya Abaribe for Abia South.
The event featured the presentation of certificates of return to the governor and other candidates of the party.