There are new fractures in Governor Alex Otti’s alleged promise to work for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s re-election in 2027, as new political events suggest his loyalty may ultimately follow Peter Obi’s presidential ambition rather than the APC ticket.
The doubts were rekindled after the former Labour Party (LP) vice-presidential candidate, Datti Baba-Ahmed, openly declared that Obi would be welcomed back to the LP if he fails to clinch the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential ticket.
Speaking on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Friday, Datti insisted the LP remains Obi’s political home, reminding Nigerians that both men jointly contested the 2023 presidential election on the party’s platform.
“I also said if Peter Obi does not get the ticket there in ADC, he is more than welcome back to the Labour Party,” Datti said.
“I will stand there and nobody will do anything bad to Peter Obi. It is better for him to come back than for him to do another type of agenda.”
Political analysts interpret the statement as confirmation that Datti-Ahmed could be holding the LP structure in trust for Obi, whose path to the ADC presidential ticket appears uncertain, especially as former Vice President Atiku Abubakar is unwilling to step down for any aspirant.
Governor Otti has remained in the Labour Party despite Obi’s defection to the ADC, repeatedly saying that he would stay back to reclaim and stabilise the party’s battered structure.
Yet, observers argue that the governor’s political future, though uncertain, is closely tied to Obi’s next move.
With the internal crisis in the LP unresolved, there is growing speculation that Otti could still align with Obi in the ADC should the former Anambra governor emerge as the coalition’s presidential candidate.
Another political gamble reportedly played by the governor, who was said to have attempted a defection to the APC, is an alleged understanding to work for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s re-election while remaining in his current party.
However, this arrangement has been vehemently rejected by Abia APC stakeholders. Leading the rejection, the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Kalu, dismissed the idea outright, declaring at the Renewed Hope Rally on December 29, 2025, that anyone genuinely committed to working for the President’s re-election must formally join the ruling All Progressives Congress.
Analysts say this delicate political scenario makes Otti’s promise to work for Tinubu’s second-term bid increasingly difficult to sustain.
They argue that if Obi returns to the LP to contest the presidency, or if Otti joins him in the ADC where Obi flies the presidential flag, backing an APC candidate would amount to political double-speak.
As 2027 calculations gather momentum, political observers insist the Abia governor may soon be forced to make a defining choice between his secret commitment to Tinubu and his long-standing alliance with Obi, a choice that could reshape political alignments far beyond Abia State.
