APC vs PDP: Is Fintiri enjoying the best of two worlds?
By Mohammed Ismail
As governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri cruises towards the finishing line of his two terms in office, it appears that the governor’s aura, charisma and abilities to spring surprises continue to mezmerize and benumbs even his worst critics.
To cut the story short, Fintiri can be likened to a political phenom and a Phoenix who against all odds perform spectacular political stunts that continue to project him as the most dominant political force in Adamawa’s history.
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Indeed, Fintiri is a political enigma with the magic wand that enables him to eat his cake and yet have it. He is one politician with the abilities to commandeer even his staunchest enemies to do his biddings.
Despite his record of alleged financial sleaze which made him a candidate for the EFCC in the lead to the 2019 general elections, coupled with his baggage of political betrayals against powerful forces who supported him in one way or the other in his political journey, Fintiri has managed to win major political battles through the instrumentality of the same powerful political enemies he created.
It is curious in this light to recall how AbdulAziz Nyako wittingly or unwittingly serve as the cannon fodder through which Fintiri won the 2019 governorship election despite Fintiri’s ignominious role in the illegal impeachment of AbdulAziz’s father, Murtala Nyako as governor of Adamawa State in 2014.
AbdulAziz Nyako who was one of the brains behind the movement that coalesced into the formation of APC in Nigeria, has in the lead to the 2019 election had irreconcilable differences with the then governor of Adamawa State, Muhammadu Jibrilla Bindow resulting in his exit from the APC.
Thereafter, he single handedly brought the African Democratic Congress (ADC) into Adamawa State and rode on its back to contest the guvernorship election and polled 113,237 votes. Fintiri secured victory by polling 376,552 votes while Bindow who became the first runner up got 336,386 votes.
Had Nyako remained in APC, the over 113,000 votes he polled would have naturally gone to Bindow who would have recorded a comprehensive victory. Many found it curious to know why AbdulAziz decided to support Fintiri who is seen as a bigger enemy to the Nyako’s family against Bindow who is seen as the lesser evil.
It is also on record that despite being a major APC stakeholder in the state, Aisha Buhari, Nigeria’s immediate past first lady, openly supported Fintiri’s candidature in the lead to the 2019 governorship election.
The Fintiri’s magic also played out in 2023 general elections that saw major stakeholders of APC including Mallam Nuhu Ribadu’s support base and Aisha Buhari rejecting the candidature of Sen. Aisha Ahmed Binani for her major rival, governor Fintiri in one of the most tensed and highly disputed governorship election in Nigeria’s history.
Political bookmakers believed that had APC entered into the 2023 general election as one indivisible entity, Fintiri would have been woefully and comprehensively defeated as he stood no chance against the APC behemoth.
But as 2027 election approaches, Fintiri’s phenomenal luck, it appears, has not deserted him as he seems to be totally in control of the two dominant political parties in the state, the APC and PDP.
Upon his entry into the APC, Fintiri in a subtle and consequential political move has taken over the APC by strategically cornering very influential positions in the party including the position of the chairman of the party.
Other strategic positions occupied by Fintiri’s men are Zonal Vice chairman North, Zonal Vice Chairman South Publicity Secretary, Youth leader, women leader, assistant secretary, Ex officio I and Ex officio II amongst others.
With that, it would be difficult for Fintiri to lose his bidding in the political chase game of APC being in absolute control of the party machinery.
Apart from control of the party machinery, Fintiri is also in control of the numbers which he got via the e-registration. Upon his entry into the party, Fintiri met about 450,000 members but catapulted the number to about one million making Adamawa to top the chart in e-membership drive of APC in Nigeria even though the figure is sharply disputed.
In a recent press conference, Chief Maurice Vunobolki, while announcing his exit from APC expressed doubts about the real strength of APC in terms of membership as he alleged that the numbers were manipulated through the backdoor.
Vunobolki, who officially dumped the party on April 13, 2026, accused the APC of orchestrating a fraudulent membership drive in which individuals’ National Identification Numbers (NINs) were allegedly used without their consent to create fictitious party members.
He claimed the practice was most prevalent in Yola North, where inflated figures were allegedly being deployed to influence delegate strength ahead of the party’s congresses. If the situation remains so, Fintiri may have advantage over other blocks come 2027 as the party prepares for primaries and other elections.
But as if that was not enough, Fintiri is believed to be firmly in control of the PDP machinery by ensuring that the party exco at all levels is populated by loyal members.
It was widely reported that Fintiri single handedly appointed all the exco of the party from ward up to the state levels as he prepares to use the party as option B in the general election.
He is also believed to anoint all the candidates of PDP in the next coming LG elections.
Whispers in Adamawa State political circle posited that being the natural leader of both parties, the next election promises the prospects of fielding two Fintiri’s candidates contesting against each other in APC and PDP. It is therefore, believed that Fintiri will be the major determinant factor of who becomes the governor of the state come 2027 election.
It is expected that with such massive control, Fintiri has become Adamawa’s Alpha political leader whose bidding assumes the force of law. The fact that he has political alternatives to chose from will make dealings with him more dicey. It will also make him to be the most consequential politician in the state as 2027 election year approaches.
Ismail, the editor-in-chief of factchecknews writes from Yola.
