…Don’t act on rumours, Aide tells party
By Steve Oko
UMUAHIA — The Abia State chapter of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) has issued Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe (Abia South) a 24-hour ultimatum to clarify his alleged romance with the African Democratic Congress (ADC) or face disciplinary action.
In a statement signed by its Publicity Secretary, Chukwuemeka Nwokoro, after a caucus meeting in Umuahia on Tuesday night, APGA accused Abaribe of abandoning the party and “hobnobbing” with ADC after winning re-election to the Senate on APGA’s platform.
The party alleged that Abaribe convened meetings at his event centre in Aba on August 18 and September 23 where he openly promoted ADC, and cited a recent radio programme where the Abia ADC secretary claimed Abaribe was not only a member but also leader of the party in the state.
APGA said the senator had shunned invitations to meet with the party’s leadership, describing his conduct as a violation of APGA’s constitution.
“Extant laws forbid a person from belonging to two political parties at the same time. Senator Abaribe cannot belong to APGA and ADC simultaneously,” the statement read.
“He is hereby given 24 hours from the release of this press statement to refute or deny the speculation of his ADC membership, publicly, through both print and electronic media, failing which the party will take prompt disciplinary action.”
Abaribe’s camp reacts
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.
Asked if Abaribe had defected to ADC, he replied: “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.”
Abaribe, who entered the Senate in 2007 under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and won three re-elections before joining APGA in 2023, is currently serving his fifth term.
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