The political reality confronting Governor Alex Otti is now unmistakable. Beyond public composure and calculated grandstanding, the Abia State governor is operating within a rapidly shrinking political space. The African Democratic Congress (ADC) increasingly stands out as not just a viable alternative, but his best—and perhaps only—strategic option if he intends to withstand the coordinated pressures building against him.
ADC offers something rare in today’s Nigerian politics: the protection of a seemingly national party in the true sense, with spread, balance, and an emerging opposition identity not tied to the failures of past administrations. For a sitting governor facing hostility from a federally backed ruling party, this kind of platform is not optional—it is essential.
Governor Otti’s private or public romance with Bola Tinubu (Asiwaju) as an individual will not save him. Nigerian politics is not preserved by personal courtesies or elite handshakes; it is secured by party structures, alliances, and timing. When the full weight of the state is deployed politically, friendships evaporate and interests prevail.
Equally unhelpful—and politically costly—was Otti’s notorious and ill-advised 2023 statement distancing himself from Peter Obi by asserting that Obi did not make him governor. Whatever the intention, the effect was predictable: it alienated a critical segment of the political base that powered the Labour movement and stripped him of goodwill at a time when insulation mattered most.
Remaining in the Labour Party (LP) under current conditions offers no strategic protection. LP, as it stands today, lacks the cohesion, national depth, and institutional resilience required to defend a sitting governor under siege. Loyalty to a platform that cannot protect its own is not bravery—it is political miscalculation.
Governor Otti must therefore make haste while the sun shines. The window for decisive action is narrowing, and delay will only embolden adversaries who are already pooling resources and aligning under the cover of federal power. In politics, as in life, a stitch in time saves nine. The time to leave LP is now—before primaries, before isolation deepens, and before options completely disappear.
History is unforgiving to leaders who hesitate when clarity presents itself. If Governor Otti seeks continuity, relevance, and protection, the path is no longer ambiguous. ADC is no longer just an alternative—it is the strategic lifeline.
— Obunike Ohaegbu, as always, writes from his village in Anambra State.
18/01/2026
