Hails Governor Over Launch of 25-Year Development Plan, Other Strides
By Steve Oko
The Chairman, Board of Trustees (BoT), of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Adolphus Wabara, has expressed optimism that the Governor of Abia State, Dr. Alex Otti, would consider the PDP as the platform for his second-term bid in 2027.
Speaking with Vanguard in Umuahia, Wabara said the PDP would readily field Otti as its governorship candidate “if he makes up his mind to join” the party, describing the governor as a major asset to any political platform.
According to Wabara, the growing interest in Otti by political parties is a result of his performance in office, noting that his scorecard would work strongly in his favour ahead of the 2027 elections.
He said ongoing efforts by the Tanimu Turaki-led National Working Committee (NWC) to rebrand the PDP have repositioned the party as a more credible and attractive alternative for candidates seeking elective offices in 2027.
The former Senate President, who described the South-East as a traditional stronghold of the PDP, said Otti’s eventual defection would further strengthen the party’s prospects and restore the zone as a key force in Nigeria’s political landscape.
Wabara disclosed that elders of the PDP were intensifying efforts to reposition the party and bring in progressives capable of driving its growth.
Commending Governor Otti for the recent launch of a 25-year Abia Development Plan, Wabara described the initiative as a clear roadmap for building a “New and Greater Abia.” He also praised the governor’s achievements in road infrastructure, healthcare, education, industry and security.
Reacting to the procurement of electric buses for the state’s urban mass transit scheme, Wabara said the initiative would provide significant relief to residents amid prevailing economic hardship.
He explained that as an elder statesman and stakeholder in Abia politics, he had a moral duty 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.
Wabara noted that Governor Otti had returned Abia to the path of greatness envisioned by the state’s founding fathers, adding that joining the PDP would further enhance his chances in 2027.
He said he had been vindicated for earlier praising the governor during the flag-off of the reconstruction of the long-abandoned Port Harcourt Road in Aba.
“When I hailed the governor’s decision to rehabilitate the strategic but long-abandoned Port Harcourt Road, which is a federal road, some mischief-makers called for my head. Today, I have been vindicated. Abians across political divides are celebrating the visible evidence of good governance. Everything should not be politics,” Wabara stated.
He urged Governor Otti to seriously consider joining the PDP, citing what he described as an “instigated leadership tussle” in the Labour Party.
“It takes wilful blindness not to see the ongoing transformation in Abia. But in 2027, the governor needs a stronger platform like the PDP, with the capacity and national spread to withstand the antics of the ruling party, which is instigating crises in opposition parties,” he said.
Wabara also called on Nigerians to unite against what he described as attempts by anti-democratic elements to turn the country into a one-party state.
He commended the House of Representatives for approving mandatory electronic transmission of election results in the ongoing constitutional amendment process, saying it would strengthen the electoral system and reduce manipulation.
Expressing confidence in the PDP’s future, Wabara said the party’s challenges were coming to an end, urging members to remain steadfast.
“PDP’s gloomy days are over. Very soon, those who defected will begin to return. The implosion of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) is inevitable,” he added.
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