Governor Fintiri joins APC, while Atiku Abubakar’s son Adamu refuses to defect from opposition ranks.
Adamawa State Governor Ahmadu Fintiri has defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC), but one of his commissioners, Adamu Atiku, son of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, has declined to follow him.
Fintiri announced his defection on Friday during a statewide broadcast, confirming weeks of speculation about his political future. Twenty-two of the 24 commissioners in his cabinet reportedly joined him in crossing over to the ruling APC.
However, Adamu Atiku, Commissioner for Works and Energy Development, and Commissioner for Livestock, Maksha Atiku, were absent at the Government House during the announcement. Their names were also missing from the handwritten list of commissioners who appended their signatures in support of the governor’s move.
A commissioner, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Adamu Atiku declined to defect due to loyalty to his father’s political alignment.
“If you recall, one of Atiku’s sons, Abba, joined the APC last month. So, Adamu cannot now also join the APC, abandoning their father in the African Democratic Congress,” the source said, adding that such a move could raise questions about the former vice president’s political standing.
Maksha Atiku was also described as a loyal supporter of Atiku Abubakar and therefore chose to remain.
Meanwhile, the PDP’s National Working Committee, led by Tanimu Turaki, condemned Fintiri’s defection, calling it an act of cowardice that undermines multi-party democracy.
In a statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Ini Ememobong, the party said while the governor had a legal right to switch parties, the decision violated political principles and morality.
“For someone to abandon a platform that provided political cover across several election cycles at the first sign of discomfort is an exhibition of unrestrained cowardice, not the conduct of a principled politician,” the statement read.
The PDP urged its members in Adamawa State to remain calm and accept what it described as a sad development, while reminding the governor that “history and posterity are the ultimate and unbiased judges of human actions.”
The development signals shifting political dynamics in Adamawa as parties reposition ahead of future electoral contests.
