It is an all-out showdown in Abia as the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) takes the gloves off against Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, accusing him of twisting facts about his exit from the party.
At a press conference in Umuahia, party leaders insisted Abaribe was never expelled, only suspended over alleged anti-party activities, and challenged him to prove otherwise.
“This is not a witch-hunt. We are acting in good conscience. Senator Abaribe betrayed the party and should relinquish the mandate,” the party leaders said.
The party accused the senator of secretly lobbying ward leaders to produce a fake sack letter to support his claims, describing it as unethical and misleading.
Maintaining the party’s position, Hon. Obinna Ichita made it clear that political power does not belong to individuals.
“You cannot assume an imperial status because you occupy an office. This is a democracy, not a monarchy,” he said.
“He was invited to respond to allegations but failed to do so. He later resigned and is now attempting to mislead the public by claiming he was sacked,” Ichita stated.
The party maintained there was no internal crisis to justify any defection, stressing that all disputes had already been settled by the Supreme Court.
APGA’s Publicity Secretary, Chukwuemeka Nwokoro, warned that Abaribe has no legal ground to remain in office after leaving the party.
“The law is clear. Having voluntarily left the party, he cannot continue to hold the mandate. He should vacate the office before he is disgraced,” Nwokoro said.
The senator hit back hard, arguing that his long suspension effectively forced him out of the party.
“When you place someone on indefinite suspension for over six months, what does that mean? It simply means the person no longer belongs to the party,” he argued.
He also dismissed allegations that he was seeking to fabricate a sack letter.
“My name is Enyinnaya Abaribe. There are certain things you should know I cannot do”, he said.
Abaribe further brushed off APGA’s influence on his victory, saying his win was based on personal popularity, not party backing.
He pointed to past defections, including those involving Godswill Akpabio, to defend his stance.
“Is it because I did not defect to the APC? Others have defected without consequences. Why is my case different?” he queried.
