APGA Denies Expelling Abaribe, Says Senator Voluntarily Resigned From Party

The Abia State chapter of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) has rejected claims that it expelled Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe from the party, insisting instead that the lawmaker voluntarily resigned his membership late in 2025.

The clarification was made in a statement issued by the party’s spokesperson in Abia State, Chukwuemeka Nwokoro, who said assertions by Abaribe that he was sacked from APGA were inaccurate and misleading.

According to the party, Abaribe personally submitted a resignation letter dated December 30, 2025, to the chairman of Ahiaba Ward 5 in Obingwa Local Government Area of Abia State. The party leadership therefore argued that the senator’s claim of expulsion contradicts documented evidence showing that he willingly left the party.

Nwokoro said the leadership of APGA decided to address the issue publicly after becoming aware that the senator had allegedly informed members of the Nigerian Senate that he was expelled from the party in September 2025.

He further alleged that the lawmaker had begun making moves to recruit individuals who were previously dismissed from the party to help produce a document that could support his claim that he had been sacked.

“The leadership of APGA in Abia State wishes to make it clear that Senator Abaribe was neither expelled nor sacked from the party at any time,” Nwokoro stated.

“Rather, he voluntarily resigned his membership on December 30, 2025, and submitted his resignation letter to the ward chairman of Ahiaba Ward 5 in Obingwa Local Government Area.”

The party spokesman argued that the senator’s own actions undermine his claim. According to him, if Abaribe had truly been expelled months earlier, there would have been no need for him to formally tender a resignation letter in December.

“Ordinarily, a person who has been expelled from a political party is no longer considered a member. It therefore makes no sense for such an individual to submit a resignation letter three months after the alleged expulsion,” he said.

Nwokoro also insisted that APGA does not currently face any leadership crisis that could justify a defection by an elected official under Nigeria’s constitutional provisions.

Under Nigerian law, lawmakers who leave the political parties under which they were elected may lose their seats unless they can demonstrate that their departure was caused by a significant internal crisis within the party.

The APGA spokesperson maintained that the party remains stable at both the state and national levels and described it as one of the most peaceful political organisations in the country.

He further warned individuals allegedly working with Abaribe to produce documents supporting the expulsion claim to desist from any actions capable of bringing embarrassment to the party.

According to him, the party has uncovered what he described as “secret moves” by certain individuals over the past 48 hours to generate a letter that could be presented as evidence of Abaribe’s purported expulsion.

The statement alleged that such actions were intended to support the senator’s argument before the Nigerian Senate and justify his defection to another political platform.

“Let it be known that all the secret moves by Senator Abaribe’s recruits have been uncovered,” Nwokoro said. “They were allegedly promised incentives if they could produce a document claiming he was sacked in September 2025.”

He warned that any attempt to fabricate documents or misrepresent the position of the party would attract consequences.

The controversy comes amid growing political realignments across Nigeria as politicians position themselves ahead of future elections. Abaribe, a prominent figure in southeastern politics and a long-serving senator, has been influential in national debates and is widely regarded as one of the outspoken voices in the upper legislative chamber.

Political observers say the dispute over whether he resigned or was expelled could have implications for his position in the Senate, depending on how the matter is interpreted under Nigeria’s constitutional rules governing party defection by elected officials.

For now, APGA insists that the senator left the party voluntarily and that any suggestion of expulsion is an attempt to mislead both the Senate and the public.