YOLA — Following widespread allegations of systemic candidate imposition during the recently concluded primary elections of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Adamawa State, Governor Ahmadu Fintiri has issued a stern warning to party members against engaging in anti-party activities. The governor's cautionary address comes as internal friction threatens to fracture the ruling party's front in the state ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Fintiri spoke on Thursday at the Government House in Yola, barely a week after the state chapter concluded its high-stakes shadow elections for governorship, senatorial, House of Representatives, and state House of Assembly tickets. The internal electoral process has been heavily criticized by various party factions, with leaders widely perceived to have handpicked and imposed their preferred aspirants. This controversial approach has generated deep-seated disenchantment among several high-profile aspirants and their grassroots supporters who feel unfairly treated and locked out of a transparent democratic process.
The growing resentment within the Adamawa APC is already being viewed by political analysts as a dangerous echo of historical internal crises. Similar internal divisions and covert anti-party maneuvers played a decisive role in the party’s high-profile failures during the 2019 and 2023 governorship races in the state. Keenly aware of how easily aggrieved members can sabotage their own platform from within by quietly working for opposition candidates, the party leadership is moving rapidly to suppress dissent before it crystallizes into open rebellion.
The governor delivered his warning while receiving the state executive committee of the APC, who had paid him a traditional Sallah homage to mark the Eid al-Kabir festival. Addressing the party executives, Governor Fintiri made an impassioned appeal to the general membership to look past the immediate friction of the primaries, remain absolutely united, and maintain an unwavering commitment to strengthening the party's structures across all local government areas.
Fintiri argued that maintaining total party cohesion is the only definitive pathway to securing an absolute victory for all elective positions during the 2027 general elections. Attempting to soothe the frayed nerves of those who lost out in the internal contests, the governor asserted that the candidates who emerged victorious during last week’s primary elections were ultimately chosen by the will of God. He expressed absolute confidence that the current lineup of flagbearers possesses the political weight required to soundly defeat the candidates of rival parties at the upcoming polls.
Assuring the visiting party stakeholders of his administration's long-term political strategy, the governor stated that his team would remain focused on promoting sustainable unity and political stability across the entire geographical expanse of Adamawa State. Reaffirming his personal commitment to ensuring that every single nominated APC candidate emerges victorious at the general polls, Fintiri reiterated that the party cannot tolerate a situation where members actively work against the collective interests of the platform that shelters them.
The state chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Alhaji Hamza Madagali, who led the executive committee on the festive visit to the Government House, thanked the governor for his stabilizing role during the tense conduct of the party’s primary elections. Madagali praised the administration's intervention, noting that managing the conflicting ambitions of numerous powerful political actors requires a high level of tact and leadership.
As the political dust begins to settle in Yola, the primary challenge facing Fintiri and the Madagali-led executive will be translating these public appeals for unity into actual reconciliation on the ground. While official speeches frame the primary outcomes as divine will, the reality remains that several aggrieved factions are still nursing deep political wounds over the alleged impositions. Whether the governor's stern warning against anti-party activities will be enough to keep these powerful, disgruntled elements aligned with the party's central objectives will be a major factor in determining if the APC can present a truly united front when the main 2027 campaigns officially kick off.
