The Adamawa State Governor, Ahmadu Fintiri, on Friday defected from the Peoples Democratic Party to the ruling All Progressives Congress, br...
The Adamawa State Governor, Ahmadu Fintiri, on Friday defected from the Peoples Democratic Party to the ruling All Progressives Congress, bringing to an end months of speculation over his political future.
In a 14-minute statewide broadcast
from his new governor’s office, the governor announced that he had decamped
with his entire cabinet and all PDP officials, stating that his decision was in
the developmental interest of the people of Adamawa State.
Immediately after the broadcast,
Peoples Democratic Party flags were dismantled in the governor’s office and
across the Government House.
He said, “Fellow citizens of Adamawa
State, I address you today in this manner due to the magnitude of what we have
at stake, the regard we have for you and the consistent support we have always
enjoyed from you.
“In 2019, you voted for us
overwhelmingly against an incumbent. In 2023, you repeated the same feat with
even greater strength in spite of all odds. We have remained popular in your
hearts, and so has our party, the PDP. We are conscious of the moral burden
imposed on our shoulders by your collective mandate.”
The governor said the decision to
join the APC with his entire cabinet, PDP officials and supporters was in the
best developmental interest of the people of Adamawa State.
“We have structures everywhere. 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 political machinery to
confer benefits on 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.
“Recent events in the polity demand
that we take decisive and strategic decisions. There are seasons for political
exigencies just as there are seasons for political expedience. We have come
this far and built so much with the people that we are ready to move further to
align our polity with national politics.
“It is on this basis that we have
never, as a government, ventured into anything that does not grow our dear
state or directly benefit our people. We have always been guided by the triple
principles of consultation, legality and impact.
“As democrats, we consult with the
people. As citizens, we interrogate how every decision we make aligns with
extant laws; and as leaders, we weigh the impact of every decision on the state
and our people.
“The decision to leave the PDP and
join the APC was not taken lightly. It was not driven by personal ambition nor
by convenience. It was guided by one overriding consideration: the long-term
stability, development and prosperity of Adamawa State.”
Fintiri further disclosed that after
wide consultations with a broad spectrum of Adamawa people, “we have resolved
to politically align Adamawa State with the All Progressives Congress.”
The governor said the political
alignment would enable Adamawa State to effectively support and leverage the
Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, which, according to him,
aims to transform the nation in critical sectors, including social welfare,
infrastructure, housing and inclusive economic development.
“It was the late Senate President,
Dr Chuba Okadigbo, who once said, ‘It takes political sagacity to know
political arithmetic.’ In our case, we have been long enough in this game to
know the value of our strength and the right steps to take. This isn’t
elementary arithmetic; it is political geometry that places every number in its
right place.
“In ideal democracies, alignments
that confer mutual advantages are constant norms. Our alignment with the APC is
a testament to strategic adaptability. It is sagacity in action. This is a
reciprocally beneficial decision that reflects a pragmatic approach to politics
— conferring electoral value while delivering democratic dividends to the
people,” he stated.
Fintiri said his decision to join
the APC meant the years of sideline politics were over and that Adamawa State
was back in mainstream politics, “a politics that will benefit it more than
ever before. It means more opportunities for the state and more stake for our
people. These, for us, are the main motivations that define our calling to
politics.”
Speaking to journalists, the Adamawa
State chairman of the Commissioners’ Forum, Mr Aloysius Babadoke, said all the
commissioners had joined the APC in the state.
“Wherever our governor goes, we are
going with him because he is a trusted leader and he has the mind to develop
Adamawa State and unite the people through his people-oriented policies,” he
said.
The governor was registered in the
APC with membership card number 001.
As a prelude to the governor’s
defection, 15 out of the 16 elected members on the PDP platform in the state
House of Assembly on Wednesday defected to the APC along with the Speaker,
Bathiya Wesley.
The rumours of Fintiri’s defection
began in 2024 when the Adamawa State APC Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Mohammed
Abdullahi, granted an exclusive interview to Punch and confirmed that the party
was wooing the governor to join the APC.
The rumours gained momentum when
President Bola Tinubu visited the state this month to commission projects in
Yola.
Culled from The Punch
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