Abaribe
By James
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The All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, Abia State Chapter, has accused Enyinnaya Abaribe, the senator representing Abia South, in the Red Chamber of fraternising with African Democratic Congress, ADC.
Consequently, APGA has given APGA the former Senate Minority Leader in the Senate 24 hours to clarify the development or face sanctions.
The ADC is the adopted platform of the coalition of opposition parties.
In a statement signed by the party’s Publicity Secretary, Chukwuemeka Nwokoro, after its caucus meeting in Umuahia on Tuesday night, APGA urged Abaribe to declare his stand, positing that it was impossible or anybody to belong to two political parties at the same time.
APGA accused Abaribe, a fifth term Senator of holding meetings on August 18, and September 23 respectively at his event centre in Aba where he allegedly promoted ADC instead of APGA.
Abaribe was challenged him to personally confirm or deny his purported defection to ADC.
“The leadership of APGA in Abia State is not oblivious of the rumours making the rounds that Senator Enyinnaya Abiriba, 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 center, 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 center 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 ADC in Abia State but also doubled as the leader of ADC in Abia, a bold statement which Senator Abaribe has not denied till date,” the statement read.
APGA said it had accorded Senator Abaribe enough respect by giving him the opportunity to interact with the party leadership on some vital issues affecting the party “but he intentionally bluffed the invitation for a meeting extended to him, thereby demeaning the party’s leadership.”
The statement added that despite “all these alleged unhealthy political movements by Senator Abaribe”, which APGA “sees as compromising actions meant to vilify, ridicule and expose APGA to public odium,” the party had, however, tried to handle the matter with maturity to avoid rancour.
“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 statement further read.
“The action of Senator Abaribe by openly and hobnobbing with another political party (ADC) while holding the mandate of APGA as a Senator amounts to gross violation of 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).”
The party demanded Senator Abaribe’s response in both print and electronic media platforms, failure of which the party threatened to sanction him according to the party’s constitution.
“This press statement shall serve as adequate notice to Senator Abaribe regarding the decision reached by the party.” it added.
However, Uchenna Awom, Abaribe’s media aide, urged the party to stop dwelling on rumours, and acting “on subterfuge”, based on spurious reports, adding that they knew how to access the Senator as its leader in the state.
”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 him and personally hear from him,” Awom said.
On whether Abaribe had defected to ADC, he said: “As an experienced politician, he knows how to go about it. Has he communicated to them that he has left APGA? They don’t just sit down and do arm-twisting to get out words from his mouth.”
