A faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), led by Kabiru Turaki, has described the defection of Ahmadu Fintiri, governor of Adamawa, to the All Progressives Congress (APC) as an “exhibition of unrestrained cowardice”.
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.
In a statement, Ini Ememobong, spokesperson of the Turaki PDP faction, 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”.
