Adamawa State Governor Ahmadu Fintiri has officially defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), bringing months of intense speculation over his political future to an end.
The governor made the announcement on Friday during a 14-minute statewide broadcast delivered from his office. In a move that signals a complete rupture with his former party, Fintiri declared that he was decamping alongside his entire cabinet, all PDP officials in the state, and his legion of supporters.
Immediately following the broadcast, workers at the Government House moved swiftly to dismantle PDP flags flying within the governor’s office and across the complex, symbolically erasing the visual presence of his former political home.
Addressing the people of Adamawa, Fintiri sought to justify his decision by framing it as a necessary step for the state’s progress. “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,” he began.
He reflected on his political journey, reminding listeners of the overwhelming mandates he received in both 2019 and 2023. “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 emphasized that the decision to join the APC with his entire political structure was motivated by the best developmental interests of the people of Adamawa State, though he did not elaborate on specific grievances with his former party.
