The ruling Labour Party (LP) has further strengthened its dominance in the Abia State House of Assembly following the defection of Hon. Godwin Adiele, the lawmaker representing Ukwa West constituency.

Hon. Adiele, previously a prominent member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), formally announced his resignation from the PDP and defection to the LP during plenary session on Wednesday. He cited the impressive performance and good governance record of Governor Alex Otti as the primary reason for his decision.

In his statement on the floor of the House, the former PDP stalwart emphasized the need to align with Governor Otti’s ongoing efforts to promote effective and people-oriented administration across the state.

This latest defection marks a significant shift in the political composition of the 24-member Assembly. The Labour Party now commands a strong majority with 19 members, while the PDP’s representation has dwindled to just 4 members. The All Progressives Congress (APC) holds the remaining seat(s).

The PDP had initially enjoyed majority control at the start of the current legislative term following the 2023 elections, but a series of defections, driven largely by support for Governor Otti’s administration, have steadily eroded its influence in the House.

The controversy over Governor Alex Otti not operating fully from the Government House in Umuahia feels misplaced and, frankly, unnecessary.

Government is about function, not symbolism. What should matter to Abians is whether decisions are being made, services are improving, salaries are paid, roads are fixed, and institutions are working. If a governor is accessible, active, and delivering results, the physical chair he sits on should not be the main issue.

Threatening legal action over office location looks more like political distraction than genuine concern for governance. The Government House is public property and a symbol, yes, but it is not the government itself. A governor’s legitimacy comes from the constitution, the mandate of the people, and performance in office, not from sleeping or working in a particular building.

If the Umuahia Government House has issues that affect security, functionality, or efficiency, those should be addressed constructively. Dialogue and solutions make more sense than lawsuits. Abia has far bigger challenges than where the governor’s daily operations are based.

In my view, energy should be focused on holding the governor accountable for results, not on creating side dramas that do little to improve the lives of ordinary people. When leadership is working, symbolism should never be allowed to overshadow substance.

Hon Stanley Nwabuisi
ABSHA 2019-2023

Former Member Representing Umuahia East State Constituency, Hon. Chukwudi Apugo, has vowed to move on to a credible Political Party platform to further his political ambition if the Internal Crisis within the People’s Democratic Party is not resolved.

Apugo who played host to the Deputy Speaker, Federal House Of Representatives,Rt.Hon. Benjamin Kalu at his residence on Tuesday, January 6th 2026 said he has to reconnect back to the government to serve his people because he understands perfectly the terrain and what obtains in leadership.

Benjamin Kalu had during the visit urged Apugo whose father is a member of the Board of Trustees BoT of the All Progressives Congress APC, to join him whose legacies must be bequeathed in the party.

Reacting to the request to join the All Progressives Congress by the Deputy Speaker, ex-Abia lawmaker Chukwudi Apugo said his response would be yes and no because he’ll support a party that is doing well.

He maintained that he won’t be stagnant waiting for the internal crisis of PDP to be resolved.

“I will say no and yes because if PDP did not amend its ways at the National and State -, “we will definitely leave the party to further our political journey”.

“We will not stay in PDP and kill our political journey. So, we will tell them now to quickly put their house in order. If they don’t, we will leave them.”

Apugo said he would join any political party capable of taking Abia to the next level.
“I want to thank the Deputy Speaker for coming. “He shows that he is a leader that is seeing the future”.

“When the time comes, we are going to join any political party that will take Abia to the next level. If the current Governor is doing well, we will join him. But if the current Governor is not doing well, we will leave him and join another party.”

When asked if dumping the PDP was the best decision having benefited so much from the party, Apugo said he had invested so much in the party and is still investing at the moment,adding that those the Party had made Governors and Ministers have all left as he should be the least amongst everyone set to be out.

“You can’t say we benefited a lot from the PDP”. “We invested a lot in PDP too”.

“I think if I’m talking about leaving the party now, I should be the last person or the last set of people saying they might leave the party”.

“I’m not saying clearly that I’m leaving, but we might leave the party because a lot have left the party. Even the people that the party made Governors, Ministers, have all left. But like I said, I invested a lot in the party, and I’m still investing now.”

Apugo said the Deputy Speaker came with a message of hope and should be commended for all that he has done to project the South East as the number Sixth Citizen of the Country.

He maintained that he’s weighing all the options available and must make an informed decision at the right time concerning the Party to join.

“The Deputy Speaker came with a message of hope. We heard him clearly.
So, we are listening to all sides of the messages everybody is going to come with.”

He further expressed his desire to contest to win the Federal House Of Representatives seat for Ikwuano/Umuahia Federal Constituency by 2027.

“I’m going to run for federal house in 2027 . I’m not going to run for the sake of running; I’m running to win”.