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| Enyinnaya Abaribe. |
The Abia State branch of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) has issued Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, who represents Abia South, a 24-hour ultimatum to clarify his alleged connection with the coalition African Democratic Congress (ADC) or face disciplinary action.
In a statement released after its caucus meeting held in Umuahia on Tuesday night, APGA told the former Senate Minority Leader that "nobody would belong to two political parties at the same time," and called on him to state his position publicly.
The party accused Senator Abaribe of neglecting APGA and showing disregard for its leadership, despite using the party’s platform to secure a fifth term in the Senate.
According to the statement, which was signed by the party’s Publicity Secretary, Chukwuemeka Nwokoro, Senator Abaribe allegedly convened meetings on August 18 and September 23 at his event centre in Aba, where he reportedly promoted ADC rather than APGA. The party challenged him to either confirm or deny the speculation surrounding his alleged defection to ADC.
Responding swiftly, Abaribe’s media aide, Uchenna Awom, stated that the party was aware of how to reach the Senator, who remains the party’s leader in the state, and should stop focusing on "rumours."
He described it as unjust for the party to issue an ultimatum based on unverified claims without first speaking with the Senator, and cautioned them against acting "on subterfuge."
Awom added: "Senator Abaribe is alive. As APGA leader in Abia, the party has all the channels to access him. He doesn’t have any issues with them. They should write to him and personally hear from him."
When asked whether Senator Abaribe had truly defected to ADC, the aide responded: "As an experienced politician, he knows how to go about it."
He continued: "Has he communicated to them that he has left APGA? They don’t just sit down and do arm-twisting to get words out of his mouth."
Part of the statement read: "The leadership of APGA in Abia State is not oblivious of the rumours making the rounds that Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, representing Abia South on the platform of APGA, has joined the African Democratic Party (ADC). This rumour followed the town hall meeting he called on 18/8/25 at the NOBIK event centre, Aba, where he addressed some members of his constituency about what he called ‘a coalition’ under the ADC."
"It is also on record that the meeting of 18/8/25 metamorphosed into another meeting held at the same event centre on 22/8/25, anchored by Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, wherein he openly and overtly tilted towards promoting ADC at the detriment of APGA, on whose mandate he is occupying the Senate position."
"In confirmation of the obvious body language of Senator Abaribe, which is anti-APGA, the Abia State Secretary of the ADC openly and boldly stated in a radio programme that Senator Abaribe is not only a card-carrying member of the ADC in Abia State but also doubles as the leader of the ADC in Abia, a bold statement which Senator Abaribe has not denied till date."
APGA stated that it had shown Senator Abaribe due respect by inviting him for dialogue on crucial matters affecting the party, "but he intentionally bluffed the invitation for a meeting extended to him, thereby demeaning the party’s leadership."
The statement further said that despite "all these alleged unhealthy political movements by Senator Abaribe", which the party leadership "sees as compromising actions meant to vilify, ridicule and expose APGA to public odium", the party had attempted to manage the matter with maturity to avoid internal conflict.
It continued: "Extant laws governing political party membership in Nigeria forbid a person to belong to two different political parties at the same time; thus, Senator Abaribe cannot belong to APGA and ADC at the same time."
"The action of Senator Abaribe by openly hobnobbing with another political party (ADC) while holding the mandate of APGA as a senator amounts to a gross violation of the APGA Constitution."
"In view of these, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe is hereby given 24 hours from the date and time of releasing this press statement to personally and publicly refute and/or deny all the speculations making the rounds on his membership of the African Democratic Party (ADC)."
APGA demanded that Senator Abaribe respond through both print and electronic media platforms. Failure to do so, the party warned, would lead to swift disciplinary measures against him, in accordance with the APGA Constitution.
"This press statement shall serve as adequate notice to Senator Abaribe regarding the decision reached by the party," the statement concluded.
It is worth recalling that Senator Abaribe was first elected to the Senate in 2007 under the banner of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), a platform he used for subsequent re-elections in 2011, 2015, and 2019. However, he defected to APGA in 2023 to secure a fourth term.
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