Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri of Adamawa State has formally defected from the People’s Democratic Party to the ruling All Progression Congress (APC).
The governor disclosed this on Friday during a state wide broadcast in Yola.
Fintiri said his defection to APC came after wide consultations with stakeholders, adding that the move would enable the people of the state to support the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
He said: “After wide consultations with a large spectrum of our people, we have resolved to politically align Adamawa State with the All Progressives Congress (APC).
“This alignment would enable Adamawa State to effectively support and leverage the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, which aims to transform the nation in critical sectors including social welfare, infrastructure, housing and inclusive economic development.”
The governor insisted that his defection to the APC was not driven by personal interest, but guided by long term stability, development and prosperity of the state.
“The decision to leave the PDP and join the APC was not taken lightly. It was not driven by personal ambition or by convenience. It was guided by one overriding consideration: The long-term stability, development and prosperity of Adamawa State” he said.
The governor called on the people to trust the government, emphasising that the decision was based on the interest of the state. He added that the state government was moving as a body with the required political strength and the numbers that confer value.
“We are moving into the APC with all the 226 wards, 21 Local Government Areas, all elected and appointed members and indeed our energy and our political machinery to confer benefits to our state, the nation and our people. I therefore call on all our supporters to fit in, register massively in the APC and gear up for a future that is assured,” he said.
Meanwhile, Fintiri’s defection to the APC has dealt a significant blow to the confidence earlier expressed by former President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki, who had publicly dismissed overtures by Nasarawa State Governor, Abdullahi Sule, to woo the governor into the ruling party.
The development marks a dramatic twist in the political realignments ahead of the 2027 general election and underscores the intensifying recruitment drive by the APC.
On February 2, 2026, Sule had openly courted Fintiri during a book launch in Yola, Adamawa State, where he praised the governor’s leadership style and suggested that his governance philosophy aligned with the progressive ideals of the APC.
“My brother, you are working like a true progressive governor, and I dare say you have the APC in your DNA. We are on the same page with you,” Sule had said at the event.
In a light-hearted moment during the ceremony, Sule brandished Tinubu’s trademark cap, joking about the possibility of Fintiri adopting a similar political posture and joining the APC.
However, Saraki had firmly rejected the overture at the same event.
“Chairman of the occasion (Governor Sule), who came with some caps, I’m sure you’ll be going back home with those caps. Our governor and his party are performing, and that’s why you’re trying to recruit us,” Saraki said.
He defended the performance of the PDP administration in Adamawa under Fintiri, arguing that the recruitment move was driven more by opposition success than by the intrinsic appeal of the ruling party.
Credit: guardian.ng
