Members of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) have come under fire from Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, who represents Abia South in the National Assembly, for allegedly forming an alliance with the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
Following its caucus meeting in Umuahia on Tuesday night, the Abia State chapter of the APGA reportedly issued a 24-hour ultimatum to Abaribe to clarify his alleged brotherhood with the ADC or face sanctions, according to a statement signed by the party’s publicity secretary, Chukwuemeka Nwokoro.
APGA demanded the former Senate Minority Leader’s position on the charge of anti-party behavior and warned him that no one would be a member of two political parties at the same time.
According to the party, Senator Abaribe allegedly supported ADC over APGA during meetings at his Aba event center on August 18 and September 23, respectively, and challenged him to personally confirm or reject his purported defection to ADC.
After utilizing the party’s platform to win a fifth term in the red chamber, Senator Abaribe was also charged with deserting the party and showing contempt for its leadership.
In response, Abaribe said in an interview with Vanguard—through his media assistant, Uchenna Awom—that the party should stop focusing on rumors because it understood how to get the senator as its leader in the state.
Awom claimed that it was unjust for the party to give Abaribe an ultimatum without first speaking with him, based on unsubstantiated rumors.
“Senator Abaribe is alive,” he declared. The party has every avenue to reach him as the APGA leader in Abia. There are no problems for him with these. They ought to write to him and speak with him directly.
Awom responded, “As an experienced politician, he knows how to go about it,” when asked if Abaribe had indeed switched to ADC. Has he informed them about his departure from APGA? To pull words out of his mouth, they do more than just sit down and tighten his arms.
