Governor Umaru Fintiri of Adamawa State has said his relationship with former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar remains cordial despite his recent defection to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Although he left the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the APC a few weeks ago, Fintiri maintained that his personal relationship with Atiku has not deteriorated.
“I still have. There is nothing that has gone bad. It is just that everybody has taken their political ways, and I am today in APC, they are in another party,” the Adamawa governor said on Tuesday’s edition of Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily.
Atiku, who also hails from Adamawa State, is positioning himself for the 2027 presidential election under the African Democratic Congress (ADC). Nigeria operates an informal power-sharing arrangement between the northern and southern regions, with President Bola Tinubu, from the South, currently serving his first term.
While the arrangement is not legally binding, Fintiri argued that it should be upheld to promote unity, insisting that the South should complete eight years in office before power shifts back to the North.
“A northerner has no business at the moment to vie for the office of the president,” the 58-year-old governor said.
“It is the South’s turn; they should complete their eight years if we are really serious about this country and leadership,” Fintiri said.
Fintiri’s move to the APC makes him one of the latest prominent figures to join the ruling party, bringing the number of APC governors to 31. His defection has drawn criticism from some quarters, with concerns raised about the country drifting towards a one-party system.
However, the governor defended his decision, describing it as being in the best interest of Adamawa State.
“The move was purely in the interest of the people and the state…because for long, it is not about winning elections but aligning and getting more for our people,” he said.
Fintiri is currently serving his second and final term as governor.