Senator representing Abia South Senatorial District, Eyinnaya Abaribe, has officially resigned membership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to join the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA).
His resignation letter was read by the President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan, during Wednesday’s plenary.
Until his resignation, Abaribe was the Minority Leader in the Senate.
The letter was entitled “Notification for Resignation from Membership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the Senate.”
It read: “This is to notify you and my dear colleagues in the senate that I have formally resigned my membership of the PDP through my ward.
“This also means my resignation as minority leader
“I wish to thank you and my dear colleagues and the leadership of the Senate for the warm camaraderie enjoyed while I was the minority leader.”
The senate president on Tuesday, announced unofficially, that Abaribe had defected from the PDP to APGA.
Mr Abaribe has been in a lingering battle with the leadership of PDP in the state.
The party had zoned its governorship ticket to Abia Central and Abia North Senatorial Districts in the state.
The current governor, Okezie Ikpeazu, who is completing his second term in office, i 2023, hails from Abia South, as Mr Abaribe.
The PDP is the ruling party in the state.
Mr Abaribe was zoned out in the new party arrangement. The senator swiftly condemned the decision, describing it as an attempt to engage in “imposition” of a candidate in the state.
The senate minority leader is from Abia South, the senatorial district ignored by the party.
Also, the lawmaker, alongside six other aspirants, have been challenging the purported election of three-man delegates for the primaries which the party claimed took place on May 6.
The aspirants had protested the list reportedly submitted to the National Working Committee of the party by the state governor, Okezie Ikpeazu, describing it as “a nullity.”
