Abaribe and Abdullahi formally resign as Senate leaders

The formal resignation of Enyinnaya Abaribe and Yahaya Abdullahi has been announced on Tuesday.

Abaribe and Abdullahi formally resigned from their respective roles as minority and majority leaders of the Senate.

Senate President Ahmad Lawan made the disclosure during the resumption of plenary, by reading their resignation letters.

Following their departure from the political parties on which they were elected as senators, they tendered their resignations.

After failing to get election tickets for the 2023 election, Abdullahi and Abaribe severed connections with respective parties and switched to others.

While Abaribe left the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Abdullahi left the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) (APC).

Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe defected from the PDP to APGA, according to Lawan. Additionally, he has resigned as minority leader of this parliament. The Minority Leader job is now available for the PDP to occupy.

“I wish our close friend, Senator Abaribe, great luck in his new party membership. Now, APGA is represented in the Senate through Senator Abaribe, just as YPP is.”

Abaribe was praised by the Senate president for his leadership as opposition leader in the Red Chamber.

Lawan stated that despite his position, Abaribe “supported legitimate administration causes.”

In his resignation letter, Senator Yahaya Abdullahi stated that he quit the APC owing to its lack of internal democracy.

He stated that the Kebbi State branch of the party has been taken over by the state’s governor, and that the APC’s national leadership has failed to settle the situation afflicting the state.

“Politics is a local affair. I cannot continue working for the central government while my people languish in abysmal poverty.

“After failing to obtain justice in the APC, I’ve joined the PDP,” Senator Abdullahi explained.

Senator Adamu Aliero’s (Kebbi) letter announcing his defection from APC to PDP was also read on the Senate floor.