Labour Party Leader Peter Obi To Campaign For Alex Otti In Abia

Labour Party leader Peter Gregory Obi is all set to visit Abia State on Tuesday to campaign for his party candidate Alex Otti, who is running for governorship.

Obi, who was the presidential candidate of the Labour Party in just concluded presidential elections, will be visiting Aba and Umuahia and Aba, which is the capital of Abia State to lend his support to Otti.

The 61-year-old former Governor of Anambra State also plans to thank his supporters, who voted for him during the presidential election held on Feb. 25.

Obi was defeated by All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate Bola Tinubu, who received 8,794,726 votes while Obi received 6,101,533 votes. People's Democratic Party (PDP) candidate Atiku Abubakar was also one of the candidates who secured 6,984,520 votes.

Otti's special adviser, Ferdinand Ekeoma shared a statement, mentioning Obi's visit to the state.

"The Labour Party governorship candidate in Abia state, Chief Alex Otti, OFR, on behalf of his family; Abia state Labour Party and the Alex Otti Campaign Council, welcome once again, the Pride of the Nation and the Labour Party Presidential Candidate in the just concluded election, His Excellency, Mr. Peter Gregory Obi, CON to Abia state," the statement reads, Punch reported.

The statement further mentioned that Otti wishes to invite his supporters alongside Labour Party leaders, members, and everyone including "businessmen and women, religious leaders and members of different religious organizations, students and youths, people living with disabilities, members of the academia, captains of industry, and indeed, the general public to come out en mass to give a rousing welcome to the giant from the East."

The statement concluded by mentioning Obi's long-term friendship and ally with Otti.

"Obi who is coming to Abia in Solidarity with his long-time friend and ally, Dr. Alex Otti, will use the opportunity of his coming to Abia to Visit Aba and Umuahia respectively, and some select LGAs where he would have the opportunity to interact and thank Abians for the massive solidarity and support given to him and the National Assembly members elect."

Before his political venture, he was the CEO of Diamond Bank Plc from 2011 to 2014. Otti joined politics in 2015 under the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) for gubernatorial elections in Abia State but lost the elections against Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)'s candidate, Governor Okezie Ikpeazu.

Aside from running for elections, he is also a member of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN) and the Nigerian Economic Society (NES).

Obi, on the other hand, served as the Governor of Anambra State from 2006 to 2014. Before entering politics, he was a businessman dealing in several sectors including hospitality, real estate, and food manufacturing.

He joined politics in 2003 and stood for the gubernatorial elections in Anambra State under All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA). However, he lost against the People's Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Chris Ngige.

In 2006, he contested again and became the governor of Anambra State and his term ended in 2014. He ran for presidential elections in 2019 but was unable to win.

During the 2023 presidential elections, Obi lost against All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Bola Tinubu.