In a move set to redraw the political map of Adamawa State, Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri has formally announced his defection from the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC), declaring the decision a strategic step taken in the best interest of the state and its people.
In a statewide broadcast delivered Friday in Yola, the governor said the move followed “wide consultations with a large spectrum of our people” and was anchored on the need to politically align Adamawa with the federal government to unlock greater development opportunities.
The announcement marks one of the most significant political shifts in the state in recent years and is expected to alter party calculations ahead of future electoral contests.
Fintiri, who first won office in 2019 and secured reelection in 2023, reflected on the trust reposed in him by the electorate, describing it as a moral burden that continues to guide his administration.
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“We have never ventured into anything that does not grow our dear state or directly benefit our people,” he said, pointing to achievements in security stabilization, road construction, healthcare expansion, educational support, youth and women empowerment initiatives, and the creation of new chiefdoms and districts.
He maintained that the defection was neither an act of personal ambition nor political convenience but one driven by “one overriding consideration: the long-term stability, development and prosperity of Adamawa State.”
According to Fintiri, closer political ties with the ruling party at the federal level would position Adamawa to attract stronger collaboration, enhanced federal presence, and accelerated development interventions.
Political observers note that such alignments have historically shaped access to federal partnerships and influence within Nigeria’s evolving political framework.
In a show of political strength, the governor declared that Adamawa’s entire PDP structure under his leadership would move with him into the APC. This includes executives across the state’s 226 wards and 21 local government areas, as well as elected and appointed officials.
“We are moving as a collective, with the required political strength and the numbers that confer value,” Fintiri said, urging supporters to register massively with the APC and prepare for what he termed a “guaranteed future.”
He described the transition not as a rupture but as a recalibration, invoking the late Senate President Chuba Okadigbo’s famous remark on “political sagacity” and characterizing the move as “political geometry that places every number in its right place.”
The governor asserted that the defection signals the end of what he described as years of “sideline politics,” positioning Adamawa firmly within mainstream national politics.
Analysts say the move could consolidate federal-state relations while simultaneously triggering internal realignments within both the PDP and APC structures in the state.
Despite the partisan shift, Fintiri reassured citizens that his governance priorities remain unchanged. He pledged continued investment in roads, schools, hospitals, job creation, scholarships and bursaries, and policies aimed at strengthening unity and peaceful coexistence.
“This is more than a promise. It is a sacred covenant,” he said, emphasizing that the platform may change, but the commitment to service delivery will not.
As observed , the defection represents a watershed moment in Adamawa’s political evolution, one that could redefine alliances, influence, and electoral strategy in the North-East state for years to come.
