The National Chairman of the Labour Party (LP) and Chairman of the party’s screening committee, Senator Nenadi Usman, has explained why Governor Alex Otti of Abia State was exempted from the party’s screening exercise ahead of the 2027 elections.

Speaking while announcing the results of the screening exercise for aspirants, Senator Usman said the committee granted the governor a waiver, noting that he was not required to go through the standard screening process.

She also disclosed that the party had previously obtained and presented nomination forms to the governor without requiring any payment.

According to her, the decision was based on the governor’s position within the party and his role in strengthening its structure.

“Is it possible for the leader of the House to come for screening, just like it’s done in other parties? In the party that he nurtures? Well, we had waived off screening for him. We gave him a waiver. We took the forms and gave them to him and told him we didn’t expect him to pay anything for it. We also had a ceremony where we presented the forms to him. Not just his form, but several other forms,” she said.

Reports indicate that Otti, who is seeking a second term as Governor of Abia State, received his Labour Party nomination forms free of charge from the National Working Committee (NWC) led by Senator Nenadi Usman.

Senator Usman further praised Governor Otti as a leading figure within the Labour Party, commending his commitment to the party’s ideals of equal opportunity and social justice in governance.

She added that the waiver was also a recognition of his performance in office and an encouragement for him to continue delivering effective leadership to the people of Abia State.