The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has described the defection of Ahmadu Fintiri, governor of Adamawa, to the All Progressives Congress (APC) as an “exhibition of unrestrained cowardice”.
In a statement issued on Friday, Ini Ememobong, PDP spokesperson, accused the Adamawa governor of abandoning the platform that sustained his political career.
Ememobong said the governor’s defection undermines the principle of “political morality” and weakens Nigeria’s multi-party democracy and democratic consolidation.
“For a person to abandon a platform that provided political coverage for him, across many election cycles at the sight of slight discomfort, is unambiguously an exhibition of unrestrained cowardice, and not a mark of a principled politician,” the statement reads.
Ememobong said Fintiri’s departure would not derail the “rebirth movement” in the party.
“As we bid Governor Fintiri farewell, we remind him that history and posterity are the ultimate and unbiased judges of human conduct and are actively recording the actions and inactions of people,” Ememobong said.
The PDP spokesperson urged party members and supporters in Adamawa to remain calm and resolute despite the development, adding that the “true test of a person is during times of inconvenience and contention”.
Fintiri formally joined the APC on Friday after weeks of speculation.
Fintiri said his decision to move to the APC is a strategic step to attract more federal support and accelerate development projects in Adamawa.
The Speaker of the Adamawa State House of Assembly, Wesley Bathiya, had on Wednesday resigned his membership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) alongside 14 other lawmakers.
The Speaker made the announcement during plenary, presenting letters of resignation from the affected members.
After concluding legislative business, he called for order and read the letters of withdrawal one after another, confirming their exit from the ruling party.
One of the defecting lawmakers, Mahmud Kallamu, chairman of the House Committee on Information, described the move as strategic.
An APC lawmaker, speaking on the sidelines, said the party would welcome the defectors if they chose to join.
With series of defections of opposition governors and others to the ruling party, do you think 2027 will be competitive? Share your views in the comments.
