Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe has ended his brief stint with the African Democratic Congress and returned to the Labour Party, pointing to unresolved court cases that have left the ADC’s status in doubt.
The Abia South lawmaker made the switch public on Monday, just over two months after he and eight other senators announced their move to the ADC during a March plenary session. His latest defection signals growing unease within the opposition bloc as the 2027 election season draws closer.
According to a statement circulated to political associates, Abaribe said the decision was forced by “multiple lawsuits and court judgements” hanging over the ADC, which he noted have created legal uncertainties for members. “I have today resigned from the ADC and joined the Labour Party effectively immediately,” he stated.
He stressed that the decision was not borne out of friction with his former party colleagues. “This has nothing to do with the leadership and members whom I have enjoyed and will continue to enjoy close and solid relationships with,” Abaribe said, calling it a “tough call” that leadership demands in uncertain times.
The senator’s media aide, Uche Awom, verified the development to reporters on Monday.
Abaribe, 71, is one of the longest-serving senators in the current National Assembly. He first won election to the Red Chamber in 2007 on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party. He secured re-election in 2023 under the All Progressives Grand Alliance but was suspended by APGA in September 2025. He formally quit the party in December 2025 and joined the ADC in March 2026 alongside former presidential candidate Peter Obi.
That March defection drew immediate pushback from Senate President Godswill Akpabio, who warned that Abaribe risked losing his seat unless he could prove APGA was factionalised, in line with Section 68(1)(g) of the 1999 Constitution. Abaribe had countered that his suspension amounted to expulsion, giving him grounds to seek a new platform.
With his latest move to Labour Party, questions are already emerging over whether the Senate leadership will again invoke constitutional provisions to challenge his mandate. No official position has been taken yet.
Abaribe is currently serving his fifth term and has declared interest in a sixth term in 2027. His exit adds to the ADC’s recent troubles, as the party grapples with internal disputes and defections ahead of INEC’s May 10 deadline for submission of membership registers.
