Wabara Offers Governor Otti Automatic PDP Ticket, Calls for ‘Prodigal Son’ to Abandon Labour Party and Return Home

In a move that has sent tremors through the political foundations of Abia State, the Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Board of Trustees, Senator Adolphus Wabara, has officially offered Governor Alex Otti an “open-door” return to his former party, complete with a guaranteed ticket for the 2027 governorship race.

Speaking at a stakeholder engagement over the weekend, today, Sunday, December 21, 2025, Senator Wabara described the Governor as a “prodigal son of the PDP” whose governance style and infrastructural achievements reflect the true ideals of the party. The veteran politician argued that the PDP remains the most viable national platform for Otti to consolidate his “Abia Rebirth” agenda.

“Alex Otti is one of us. He breathed PDP, and he knows the house he left behind,” Wabara stated. “I am saying it today, as the Chairman of the BoT: if the Governor decides to come back home to the PDP, the red carpet will be rolled out, and a ticket will be waiting for him. We don’t need to look for a candidate when a performing one is right here, even if he is currently wearing a different jersey.”

The timing of this overture is significant. It follows a recent statement by Governor Otti on Friday, December 19, where he suggested he might not seek re-election, preferring to “step aside” after his first four years. Political analysts view Wabara’s offer as a strategic attempt to entice the Governor to stay in the race by switching platforms a move that would effectively decimate the Labour Party’s influence in the South-East and restore the PDP’s dominance in Abia.

However, Wabara’s comments have been met with immediate backlash from the Abia State Chapter of the PDP. The state leadership, which has spent the better part of 2025 attempting to discipline Wabara for his “unfiltered support” of the LP Governor, described the offer as “delusional and unauthorized.”

“Senator Wabara does not speak for the Abia State PDP,” a spokesperson for the state chapter said. “We have credible, loyal party members who have stayed through thick and thin. To suggest we would hand our ticket to an opposition governor is the height of political sabotage.”

Governor Otti has yet to formally respond to the “automatic ticket” offer. His administration remains focused on its 25-year development plan, while his supporters in the Labour Party maintain that his loyalty to the LP “Obidient” movement remains unshaken despite the tempting overtures from his former political home.