APGA Asks Senate to Declare Abaribe’s Seat Vacant

The All Progressives Grand Alliance has formally requested the Nigerian Senate to declare the legislative seat of Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, representing Abia South, vacant, citing his defection from the party to the African Democratic Congress as a constitutional breach and a betrayal of the mandate given to him by his constituents.

The demand was contained in a communique issued after a meeting of the party’s National Working Committee held at its South-East regional secretariat in Awka, made available by the party’s Publicity Secretary, Mazi Ejimofor Opara.

“NWC calls on the Senate leadership to invoke relevant provisions of the Constitution and declare his seat vacant, in light of his betrayal of the mandate entrusted to him by the people of Abia South Senatorial District,” the communique read.

The NWC also commended the Senate leadership under Senator Godswill Akpabio for what it described as a firm defence of democratic and constitutional order in response to the defection.

Abaribe was among nine senators who formally announced their defection from their respective political parties to the ADC on the floor of the Senate. While the upper chamber accepted the defections of eight other lawmakers who left the Peoples Democratic Party and the Labour Party, Abaribe’s case immediately sparked constitutional objections.

Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin raised the first objection, arguing that the Constitution provides that a legislator may change political parties only under specific circumstances, such as when there is a division within the party under which they were elected, or when parties merge. He found no evidence of such division within APGA.

Abaribe defended himself, insisting that his indefinite suspension by APGA effectively amounted to expulsion, arguing that when a person is no longer a member of a party by virtue of being sent away, they retain the fundamental right of association to join another party. APGA, however, has flatly contested that account.

APGA’s national spokesperson pointed out a contradiction at the heart of Abaribe’s position, noting that if he had been expelled in September 2025 as he claimed, a resignation letter submitted three months later would make no sense, since an expelled member is no longer a party member.

Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele relied on Section 68(1)(g) of the 1999 Constitution, which provides that a member of the Senate shall vacate his seat if he defects to another political party before the expiration of his tenure, except where the defection results from a division or merger in the original party. Bamidele argued that no such division existed within APGA to justify Abaribe’s move.

Senate President Akpabio subsequently gave Abaribe one week to produce documentary evidence of his alleged expulsion from APGA, warning that failure to do so would result in further constitutional action. The matter remains unresolved.

The nine defections significantly altered the Senate’s party composition. ADC, with nine members, overtook the PDP, reduced to seven senators, to become the leading opposition party in the chamber, while the ruling APC maintained a commanding hold of 87 of the 109 seats.

Beyond the Abaribe matter, APGA’s NWC used the communique to hail the passage and presidential assent of the Electoral Act 2026, describing its provisions on party primaries and digitisation of membership databases as consistent with global best practices. The committee also approved stakeholders’ conferences across the six geopolitical zones ahead of 2027, ratified the timetable for its 2026 primary elections, and expressed concern over rising insecurity, urging President Bola Tinubu to intensify efforts to address it.