By The Vice President of Nigeria, Kashim Shettima, has declared that the Governor of Adamawa State, Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri, has automatically become the leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state following his recent defection to the party.
Shettima made the clarification during a reception held in the state on Monday to welcome Governor Fintiri into the APC after he joined the party last month.
The Vice President addressed ongoing debates about the party’s leadership in the state, particularly regarding whether Fintiri now leads the party instead of the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, who was previously regarded as the party leader in the state.
To support his position, Shettima cited examples from his home state of Borno State, where Governor Babagana Umara Zulum serves as the party leader rather than himself. He also referenced Plateau State, where despite the APC National Chairman originating from the state, the governor leads the party structure.
Speaking on behalf of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the grand reception in Yola, Shettima said the APC and the Federal Government were proud of Fintiri and pleased to welcome him and his supporters into the party.
“As we arrived in Yola earlier today, we were welcomed not only by the people but also by the worthy projects that you have put in place,” Shettima told the governor.
Meanwhile, the National Chairman of the APC, Nentawe Yilwatda, while presenting Fintiri with the party’s flag, described him as a hardworking governor and urged him to strengthen the party’s presence in the state.
While handing over the APC’s symbolic broom to the governor, the chairman encouraged him to bring members of other political parties in the state into the APC fold.
In his remarks, Governor Fintiri revealed that on Sunday, March 22, he persuaded former governorship candidate of the African Democratic Congress, Senator Abdulazeez Nyako, to return to the APC. He also pledged to work diligently to attract other notable political figures in the state to join the party.
