APGA Denies Expelling Abaribe, Says Senator Resigned Before Defecting to ADC

The All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in Abia State has firmly denied claims that Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe was expelled from the party, insisting that the lawmaker representing Abia South resigned voluntarily months before announcing his defection to the African Democratic Congress (ADC).

The clarification was issued on Saturday by the Abia State Chairman of APGA, Sunday Onukwubiri, following controversy that erupted in the Nigerian Senate last week when Abaribe formally notified the chamber of his decision to join the ADC. In his letter to the Senate, the senator stated that he had been expelled from APGA in September 2025 due to what he described as an “irreconcilable leadership crisis” within the party, adding that he possessed an expulsion letter to support the claim.

But Onukwubiri rejected that account, telling journalists that the party never expelled the senator at any point. According to him, Abaribe was merely suspended in September 2025 after allegedly engaging in what party officials described as serious anti-party activities. The suspension, he said, was never escalated to a formal expulsion.

The APGA chairman further disclosed that Abaribe later chose to leave the party of his own accord. He explained that on December 30, 2025, the senator submitted a resignation letter to the chairman of Ahiaba Ward 5 in Obingwa Local Government Area of Abia State. “We never expelled Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe,” Onukwubiri said. “What we did was suspend him. He later resigned from the party.”

Party officials also accused the senator of attempting to justify his defection by presenting what they described as a questionable expulsion narrative. According to the state leadership of APGA, Abaribe allegedly sought the cooperation of individuals who had either been suspended or had already left the party in order to produce a document suggesting he had been formally expelled.

The dispute surfaced dramatically on the Senate floor when the lawmaker announced his move to the ADC. Senate President Godswill Akpabio and several other senators questioned the legality of the defection, noting that the Nigerian Constitution permits lawmakers to switch parties only if there is a verifiable division or leadership crisis in their original party.

With APGA now insisting that no such crisis exists and that no expulsion took place, the Senate leadership has indicated that it may review the circumstances surrounding the defection. Some lawmakers have suggested that if the explanation fails to meet constitutional requirements, the chamber could consider declaring the Abia South seat vacant.

The development marks the latest twist in the political contest surrounding Abia State representation in the Senate, as the chamber weighs whether Abaribe’s move to the ADC complies with constitutional provisions governing party defections.