APGA Issues 24-Hour Ultimatum to Abaribe Over Alleged ADC Links

The Abia State chapter of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) has given Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe (Abia South) 24 hours to clarify reports linking him with the African Democratic Congress (ADC) or risk disciplinary action.

The ultimatum followed a caucus meeting of the party in Umuahia on Tuesday night. In a statement signed by Publicity Secretary Chukwuemeka Nwokoro, APGA accused the senator of “abandoning the party” after securing re-election on its platform and of fraternising with ADC.

The party alleged that Abaribe hosted meetings at his event centre in Aba on August 18 and September 23, where he openly promoted ADC. It also cited a recent radio programme in which the Abia ADC secretary described Abaribe as not only a member but also the leader of the party in the state.

According to APGA, Abaribe has repeatedly ignored invitations to meet with party leaders, actions it described as a violation of the party’s constitution.

“Extant laws forbid a person from belonging to two political parties at the same time,” the statement read. “Senator Abaribe cannot belong to APGA and ADC simultaneously. He is hereby given 24 hours from the release of this press statement to refute or deny the speculation of his ADC membership publicly, failing which the party will take prompt disciplinary action.”

Reacting, Abaribe’s media aide, Uchenna Awom, dismissed the ultimatum as premature and based on speculation.

“Senator Abaribe is alive. As APGA leader in Abia, the party has all the channels to access him. They should write to him and hear from him directly instead of dwelling on rumours,” Awom said.

On whether Abaribe had defected to ADC, he added: “As an experienced politician, he knows how to go about such matters. Has he communicated to them that he has left APGA? They shouldn’t engage in arm-twisting to extract words from him.”

Senator Abaribe, who first entered the Senate in 2007 under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), won three re-elections on the PDP platform before joining APGA in 2023. He is currently serving his fifth term.