Governor Umaru Fintiri of Adamawa State says his relationship with ex-vice president Atiku Abubakar is still intact despite the former’s defection to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Despite leaving the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the APC a few weeks ago, Fintiri says the duo enjoys a healthy relationship.
“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 State governor said on Tuesday’s edition of Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily.
Atiku, who is from Adamawa State, is eyeing the country’s presidential seat in the 2027 election and has teamed up with the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
The country practices a power-sharing deal between the northern and southern regions. President Bola Tinubu, who is from the southern part of the country, is still in his first term.
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Chamberlain Usoh: Do you have a good relationship with Atiku Abubakar?
Gov Fintiri of Adamawa State: 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….
A northerner has… pic.twitter.com/8BCjBMnfW5
— Channels Television (@channelstv) March 3, 2026
While not recognised by law, Fintiri believes the power-sharing deal should continue, arguing that southern Nigeria should complete eight years in the presidency before power returns to the north.
According to him, the power-sharing deal is a unifying factor in the country.
“A northerner has no business at the moment to vie for the office of the president,” the governor, 58, said on the show.
“It is the South’s turn; they should complete their eight years if we are really serious about this country and leadership,” Fintiri said.
The Adamawa governor became the latest high-profile politician to defect to the APC, a move which increased the number of governors in the ruling party to 31.
Critics have questioned the mass defection into the APC, saying the country is sliding into a one-party state.
But Finitri has defended his decision to join the APC, citing the need to align his people with the ruling party.
“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,” the Adamawa leader, who is in his second and final term, said.
