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Thirty-nine special advisers to Governor Ahmadu Fintiri of Adamawa State and 14 of the 21 local government chairmen have formally defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The political office holders declared their defection on Friday afternoon, hours after the governor delivered a statewide broadcast formally announcing his own move.
The governor’s commissioners had earlier followed his lead, officially declaring their defection minutes after the broadcast.
For their part, the special advisers, operating under the umbrella of the Special Advisers Forum, announced their decision during a press briefing addressed by the chairman of the forum, Bala Buba Jada, who serves as Special Adviser to the Governor on Inter-Party Affairs.
Jada, who said the decision was taken in the overriding interest of Adamawa State, cited what he described as prolonged internal disputes and litigation within the PDP at the national level as the reason for their action.
He stated that the forum concluded that remaining in the PDP created uncertainty capable of affecting governance, adding, “Accordingly, and in the interest of safeguarding Adamawa’s strategic position within the federation, we have collectively resigned our membership of the PDP with immediate effect and have joined the APC.”
In turn, 14 of the 21 local government chairmen declared their own defection in solidarity with Governor Fintiri.
The Adamawa State chairman of the Association of Local Government Chairmen (ALGON), Sulaiman Gangkuba, who is the chairman of Toungo Local Government Council, said the decision followed extensive consultations and was not the result of coercion.
“This is a collective decision taken after wide consultation with our stakeholders. It is in recognition of the giant strides recorded under the leadership of Governor Fintiri,” he said, explaining that the remaining seven council chairmen were yet to decide on defection.
The local government chairmen listed as aligning with Governor Fintiri in the APC include those of Toungo, Ganye, Mayo Belwa, Numan, Shelleng, Lamurde, Guyuk, Yola South, Fufore, Hong, Maiha, Mubi South and Madagali.
According to Gangkuba, the chairmen of Yola North, Mubi North, Demsa, Michika, Gombi, Song, and Girei are “still consulting.”
Thirty-nine special advisers, 14 LG chairmen defect to APC in Adamawa
