Adamawa State Governor Ahmadu Fintiri has formally left the Peoples Democratic Party and joined the All Progressives Congress, ending months of speculation about his political direction.
Fintiri made the announcement in a statewide broadcast on Friday, February 27, saying the decision was taken after extensive consultations and was motivated by the developmental interests of the people of Adamawa State.
The governor said he was not moving alone, confirming that his entire cabinet, party officials across all 21 local government areas and 226 wards, and elected and appointed members were joining him in the APC.
“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 said.
He acknowledged the trust placed in him by the people of Adamawa, who elected him twice on the PDP platform in 2019 and 2023, and said his government had always been guided by the principles of consultation, legality, and impact.
The governor described the move as a strategic political alignment that would position Adamawa to benefit from President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda across critical sectors including infrastructure, housing, and economic development.
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“This isn’t elementary arithmetic; it is political geometry that places every number in its right place,” he said, quoting the late Senate President Chuba Okadigbo.
PDP flags were removed from the Government House immediately after the broadcast. Fintiri was registered in the APC with membership card number 001.
The chairman of the state Commissioners’ Forum, Aloysius Babadoke, confirmed that all commissioners followed the governor into the APC.
“Wherever our governor goes, we are going with him because he is a trusted leader,” Babadoke said.
The defection was preceded by the crossing of 15 out of 16 PDP state lawmakers and the Speaker to the APC on Wednesday.
Fintiri’s exit further weakens the PDP, which has lost several governors to the ruling party since 2023, consolidating the APC’s dominance ahead of the 2027 elections.
Fintiri’s defection deals another significant blow to the PDP, which has been haemorrhaging governors and other key figures to the APC since President Bola Tinubu took office.
The party has struggled to maintain its ranks amid what critics describe as a deliberate strategy by the ruling party to weaken the opposition by absorbing its most prominent members.
The Adamawa governor joins a growing list of PDP governors who have crossed over to the APC in recent months, further tilting the political balance in favour of the ruling party ahead of the 2027 general elections.
He was elected governor on the PDP platform in 2019 and re-elected in 2023, defeating the APC candidate in both contests.