THEY MAY HAVE THE “SQUAD,” BUT LABOUR PARTY HAS THE RECORD
A collection of prominent politicians in one photograph may appear formidable, but elections are not won by political photographs, red caps, federal titles or recycled alliances. Elections are won by citizens who compare yesterday with today and decide who has served them better.
In 2023, Abians made that comparison. Dr Alex C. Otti, OFR, of the Labour Party secured 175,467 votes, almost twice the 88,529 votes received by his closest opponent. That historic result was not accidental. It was a decisive rejection of the political establishment that had controlled Abia for decades.
HISTORY MUST BE OUR FIRST WITNESS
Some members of the so-called “dangerous squad” have occupied powerful political positions for many years. The important question is not how powerful they look today, but what measurable development their years of influence brought to Abia.
Where were the durable roads?
Where were the regularly paid pensions?
Where were the functional public institutions?
Where were the clean cities, accountable finances and thriving commercial centres?
The Labour Party government inherited accumulated salary, pension and institutional liabilities from the old political order. By 2025, the Otti administration had reportedly committed more than ₦40 billion to addressing inherited salary and pension arrears.
Those debts were not created by Labour Party. They were the unpaid bills of yesterday’s political establishment.
DEVELOPMENT POLITICS HAS REPLACED GODFATHER POLITICS
Governor Otti’s political strength does not depend principally on controlling every senator, federal legislator or political chieftain. His strength rests on visible public works, institutional reforms and the growing conviction that public money can genuinely serve the public.
By May 2026, the administration reported completing 414 road projects covering approximately 864 kilometres across Abia State.
The relevant question is therefore simple:
What did previous administrations and their powerful political allies achieve with the opportunities, influence and resources available to them?
Abia has also moved towards prioritising capital development. BudgIT’s assessment placed the state among Nigeria’s stronger fiscal performers, while published analyses indicated that a substantial proportion of expenditure was directed towards capital projects.
Abia’s internally generated revenue reportedly increased from approximately ₦18 billion in 2023 to more than ₦41 billion in 2024.
That is the foundation of sustainable development: stronger institutions, improved revenue mobilisation, prudent expenditure and investment in roads, schools, hospitals and public services.
LABOUR PARTY’S ADVANTAGE IS OTTI’S GOVERNANCE MODEL
The Labour Party in Abia represents a clear departure from the politics that left workers unpaid, pensioners distressed, public assets neglected and Aba’s enormous commercial potential constrained.
Under Governor Otti:
✅ Salaries and pensions are being paid more regularly.
✅ Inherited arrears are being systematically addressed.
✅ Road reconstruction is reaching urban and rural communities.
✅ Public schools and health institutions are being rehabilitated.
✅ Aba’s infrastructure and commercial environment are receiving renewed attention.
✅ Financial management and internally generated revenue have improved.
✅ Development planning is increasingly replacing political improvisation.
The National Pension Commission also commended Abia for its pension reforms, including the enactment of the Abia State Pension Reform Law 2024 and steps towards establishing a more sustainable contributory pension system.
These are not empty social-media slogans. They are measurable institutional reforms.
SUPPORTING LABOUR PARTY DOES NOT MEAN GIVING IT A BLANK CHEQUE
Labour Party supporters must continue to demand transparency, accountability and better performance.
Not every road has been completed.
Not every community’s problem has been solved.
Flooding, rural access, employment, healthcare, local-government administration and budget implementation still require sustained attention.
However, there is a fundamental difference between asking a performing government to improve and returning Abia to political networks whose long years of power produced little sustainable development.
THE REAL “DANGEROUS SQUAD” IS THE ABIA ELECTORATE
The people who should worry political actors are not merely the politicians assembled in the photograph.
They are:
The pensioners receiving payments.
The workers receiving their salaries.
The traders using reconstructed roads.
The businesses benefiting from improved infrastructure.
The parents seeing public schools rehabilitated.
The residents witnessing a cleaner and more organised Aba.
The young people beginning to believe that government can produce public value.
Political heavyweights may unite. They may possess federal influence, money, structures and media platforms. But they cannot erase history, and they cannot persuade informed Abians to abandon visible development merely because familiar political personalities have gathered under one platform.
The 2027 contest should be based on records.
Let every candidate present what he has achieved.
Let every former officeholder explain what he delivered during his years of influence.
Let every political party show the roads it built, the institutions it revived, the liabilities it cleared and the reforms it established.
On the examination of facts, history and development politics, the Labour Party government led by Dr Alex C. Otti, OFR, presently holds the stronger argument.
They have a political squad.
Labour Party has a development record.
They represent yesterday’s political history.
Otti is writing a new development history.
When facts, history and visible performance are placed on the ballot, Labour Party remains Abia’s best choice.
