Stephen Ukandu, Umuahia
Two federal lawmakers representing Abia State in the National Assembly, Enyinnaya Abaribe and Alex Mascot Ikwechegh, have been asked to vacate their seats following their recent defections from the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA).
The Abia State chapter of APGA said the lawmakers should relinquish the mandates they secured on the party’s platform after dumping the party for the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and the Labour Party (LP), respectively.
Speaking during a press conference in Aba, the party’s Publicity Secretary in the state, Barr. Chukwuemeka Nwokoro, said APGA was not surprised by the decision of the two politicians to leave the party.
Nwokoro described their exit as a positive development, saying it had freed the party from what he termed “political hostage-taking and asphyxiation.”
According to him, APGA provided the platform that enabled the two politicians to secure their current positions in the National Assembly, and they should honourably relinquish the seats after leaving the party.
“The seats they are occupying at the National Assembly belong to APGA. It is only honourable that they vacate them immediately,” he said.
While noting that defections are not unusual in Nigerian politics, the party maintained that the departure of the lawmakers would not affect its political fortunes in Abia State.
APGA also alleged that both Abaribe and Ikwechegh contributed little to the growth of the party in the state during their time as leaders.
The party further claimed that some of their actions and inactions undermined the development of APGA in Abia.
Despite the development, Nwokoro said the party had learnt valuable lessons and would no longer allow political opportunists to hijack its structure.
He assured members and supporters that APGA would emerge stronger ahead of the 2027 general elections.
According to him, the party, under the leadership of its Abia State Chairman, Sunday Onukwubiri, is already repositioning to improve its chances in the next electoral cycle.
Nwokoro also urged politicians interested in contesting elections on the party’s platform in 2027 to join early, warning that APGA would no longer serve as a last-minute option for politicians seeking political relevance.
“APGA has come to stay in Abia State. No amount of political shenanigans will distract us as we march towards the 2027 elections,” he said.
