The Governor of Adamawa State, Ahmadu Fintiri, said he joined the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to align the state with federal government for the interest of the state’s development.
The governor stated this in a broadcast on Friday morning at the Government House in Yola. The event was attended by his cabinet members and high-ranking government officials.
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Mr Fintiri stated that “the years of sideline politics is over and Adamawa state is back to mainstream politics – a politics that will benefit it more than ever before”.
He added that his defection to the APC means “more opportunities for the state and more stake for the people.
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Mr Fintiri announced his defection from the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) two days after the Speaker of Kogi State House of Assembly, Bathiya Wesley, officially announced resignation of 15 members of the Assembly from the PDP during a plenary session, on Wednesday.
Qouting late Senate President Chuba Okadigbo, Mr Fintiri said he is matured enough in politics to decide what is good for the state judging from his political experience.
“It takes political sagacity to know political arithmetic. In our case, we have been long enough in this game to know the value of our strength and the right steps to take. This isn’t elementary arithmetic; it is a political geometry that places every number in its right place.
“In ideal democracies, alignments that confer mutual advantages are constant normals. Our alignment with the APC is a testament to strategic adaptability. It is sagacity in action. This is a reciprocally beneficial decision that reflects a pragmatic approach to politics – conferring electoral value while delivering democratic dividends to the people,” the governor stated.
Read below his full speech
1. Fellow citizens of Adamawa state. I address you today in this manner due to the magnitude of what we have at stake – the regard we have for you and the consistent support we have always enjoyed from you. In 2019, you voted us overwhelmingly against an incumbent. In 2023, you repeated the same feat even with greater propensity in spite of all odds.
We have remained popular in your hearts, so, has our party – the PDP been with you. We are conscious of the moral burden imposed on our shoulders by your collective mandates. We are eternally committed to every item in our social contract with you.
2. We prioritized the security of your lives and properties; we built roads, schools, hospitals, houses and markets; we provided essential support in education, water and electricity; we empowered our youth and women; we established new chiefdoms, emirates and districts. We desired that our people are freed from the shackles of poverty, disease, deprivation and oppression
3. It is on this basis that we have never, as a government, ventured into anything that does not grow our dear state or directly benefit our people. We have always been guided by the triple principles of consultation, legality and impact. As democrats, we consult with the people. As citizens we interrogate how every decision we make aligns with extant laws; and as leaders, we weigh the impact of every decision on the state and our people.
4. Recent events in the polity demands that we take decisive and strategic decisions. There are seasons for political exigencies just like there are seasons for political expedience. We have come this far and built so much with the people that we are ready to move further to align our polity to national politics.
5. After wide consultations with a large spectrum of our people, we have resolved to politically align Adamawa State with the All ProgressivesCongress (APC). This alignment would enable Adamawa State to effectively support and leverage the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR, which aims to transform the nation in critical sectors including social welfare, infrastructure, housing and inclusive economic development
6. The decision to leave the PDP and join the APC was not taken lightly. It was not driven by personal ambition nor by convenience. It was guided by one overriding consideration: the long-term stability, development and prosperity of Adamawa State.
7. Fellow citizens, you remain our most cherished partners. I want you to trust that this decision, is in our best interest. Wherever we go from here, we are going as a collective. With the required political strength and the numbers that confer value.
We have structures everywhere. We are moving into the APC with all the 226 wards, 21 Local Government areas, all elected and appointed members and indeed our energy and our political machinery to confer benefit to our state, the nation and our people. I therefore call on all our supporters to fit in, register massively in the APC and gear up for a future that is assured.
8. It was the late Senate President Dr Chuba Okadigbo who once said, “It takes political sagacity to know political arithmetic”. In our case, we have been long enough in this game to know the value of our strength and the right steps to take.
This isn’t elementary arithmetic; it is a political geometry that places every number in its right place. In ideal democracies, alignments that confer mutual advantages are constant normals. Our alignment with the APC is a testament to strategic adaptability. It is sagacity in action. This is a reciprocally beneficial decision that reflects a pragmatic approach to politics – conferring electoral value while delivering democratic dividends to the people.
9. What this means, is that, the years of sideline politics is over and Adamawa state is back to mainstream politics – a politics that will benefit it more than ever before. It means more opportunities for the state and more stake for our people. These for us, are the main motivations that define our calling to politics.
10. Fellow citizens, we are taking this step in our collective interests. It is all about Adamawa state and the prosperity of our people. Continue to trust us and we shall continue to deliver selfless service for you irrespective of whichever political platform we lean on. We shall continue to build more infrastructure, more schools and more befitting hospitals for our people.
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We shall continue to empower the youths and women; create employment opportunities and employ more citizens; pay school fees, national examination fees and provide scholarship and bursaries for our indigent and international students; build cohesion, unity and peaceful coexistence.
We shall confer on you the pride of being called an indigene of Adamawa state; we shall give you the courage to walk into the national theatre and contribute your quota in the greater Nigerian project. This is more than a promise. It is a sacred covenant. It is a bold walk into a guaranteed future for Adamawa state.
11. You have always trusted us and it has always worked well for you. This time around more than ever before, we solicit for that trust and assure you that where we are heading is the best place to go.
Thank you and God bless.
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