The All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) has formally requested the Nigerian Senate to declare the seat of Abia South Senator, Enyinnaya Abaribe, vacant. The demand follows the lawmaker’s recent move to dump the party under whose platform he was elected for the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
During a press briefing in Umuahia on Thursday, APGA leadership, led by former state lawmaker Obinna Ichita, contended that Abaribe’s resignation was voluntary and occurred in a period devoid of internal party crisis. Under Section 68(1)(g) of the Nigerian Constitution, a legislator who defects to another party before the end of their term must vacate their seat unless the move is necessitated by a division or merger within their original party.
“The Senator resigned at his ward level. He did so voluntarily, which is his right,” Ichita stated. “However, if you leave the party that provided the platform without a leadership crisis, that seat must be declared vacant.”
The party further accused Abaribe of misrepresenting the circumstances of his exit to the Senate. While the Senator told his colleagues during a plenary session that he had been “sacked” by APGA in September 2025, the party produced documentation suggesting he remained a member under suspension until he officially resigned in December 2025.
State Chairman Sunday Onukwubiri and Publicity Secretary Chukwuemeka Nwokoro reiterated that the mandate in question belongs to the electorate and the sponsoring party, not the individual. They argued that because the ADC played no role in Abaribe’s 2023 electoral victory, he cannot legally transfer the mandate to his new affiliation.
Responding to the allegations, Senator Abaribe maintained that his defection was a matter of fundamental right. He argued that an “indefinite suspension” lasting more than six months effectively amounts to an expulsion, rendering him “partyless” and justifying his search for a new political home.
“When a party places you on indefinite suspension while other aspirants are seeking nominations, they have effectively told you to go elsewhere,” Abaribe said. He added that the only legal mechanism for his removal from office is through a formal recall process initiated by his constituents in Abia South.
The Senate leadership, led by President Godswill Akpabio, has previously expressed reservations regarding the defection, recently giving Abaribe a deadline to provide documentary evidence of his purported expulsion.
