APC Adamawa Loyalists Vow to “Destroy” Party if Fintiri Defects, Takes Control

The political temperature in Adamawa State has reached boiling point, and at the center of it all is a rumor that refuses to die.

Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri, a card-carrying member of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), is reportedly on the verge of defecting to the All Progressives Congress (APC). But it’s not just the possibility of his departure that has tongues wagging across the state. It’s what he might demand when he arrives.

Word on the street, and in backroom political meetings, is that Fintiri wants more than a membership card. He wants control of the APC structure in Adamawa, the kind of control that would make him the party’s undisputed leader in the state.

For many APC loyalists who have spent years building the party from scratch, that idea is not just unacceptable. It’s an insult.

Abdulrahaman Buba Kwacham, a vocal APC stakeholder and long-time party member, has become the loudest voice in a growing chorus of opposition. In a statement that has since gone viral across Adamawa’s political circles, Kwacham made his position brutally clear.

“If Governor Fintiri truly loves the APC, he should decamp like any ordinary citizen and join the queue,” Kwacham said. “Many of us have been in line far longer.”

His words were sharp, but they reflected the frustration of party members who feel they have been overlooked for too long. Kwacham described Fintiri as an “opportunist reaping where he did not sow,” a man who mocked the APC when it was down and now wants to lead it when it suits his ambitions.

Kwacham reminded anyone listening that Fintiri once called the APC a “rotten cage that beggars cannot beg to eat.” He said the governor dismissed the party as “priceless” in the most dismissive sense, a party “no one can buy for a penny.”

“Now that the party is suddenly good enough, he wants to join and take charge? That’s day dreaming,” Kwacham fumed. “In every house, there are landlords and owners of the land. We built this party with our sweat and resources while he insulted us. He will not subject us to political slavery.”

The sentiment is shared by many within the APC rank and file. For over seven years, Kwacham and others like him have poured money, time, and political capital into keeping the party relevant in a state where the PDP has dominated for years.

They have endured losses, weathered internal crises, and fought to keep the APC’s name alive in local government areas where the party struggled to win a single polling unit. Now, they feel like someone who never believed in the project is trying to walk in and take ownership.

Kwacham’s statement went further. He warned that if Fintiri defects and the national leadership of the APC, including President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, hands him the party structure, there will be consequences.

“We will destroy the APC ourselves,” he said, a threat that might sound extreme but reflects the depth of anger among grassroots members.

For Kwacham, the issue is not just about Fintiri. It’s about respect, ownership, and the preservation of a party identity that he believes cannot be handed over to someone with a history of dictatorship and godfatherism.

“He can remain in the PDP, where he can continue his political life of dictatorship,” Kwacham said. “Such tendencies will not be palatable in the APC.”

The defection rumors have been building for months. Recent reports suggest that APC figures, some with direct ties to the presidency, have been courting Fintiri with promises of influence and support ahead of the 2027 elections.

Some APC officials in Adamawa have even claimed that the governor has already aligned with the party and is just waiting for the right moment to make a formal declaration.

But Fintiri himself has been careful not to confirm or deny anything. In recent interviews, he described his political stance as “open to possibilities,” a phrase that has kept both parties guessing and kept political analysts busy with speculation.

The PDP in Adamawa has dismissed the defection talk as baseless, insisting that Fintiri remains committed to the opposition party. But the party’s denials have done little to quiet the rumor mill.

Political watchers in the state say the governor’s silence is strategic. By refusing to commit publicly, he keeps both parties interested and maintains maximum leverage as 2027 approaches.

For the APC, the situation is complicated. On one hand, gaining a sitting governor would be a major coup, especially in a state where the party has struggled to win the top seat. Fintiri’s defection would give the APC immediate visibility, resources, and a ready-made political machine.

On the other hand, welcoming him without addressing the concerns of longtime members could tear the party apart from within. Kwacham and others like him are not just making noise. They represent a significant bloc of grassroots support that the APC cannot afford to lose.

The party’s national leadership is now caught in a delicate balancing act. Accept Fintiri and risk alienating loyal members, or reject him and miss out on a high-profile defection that could tilt the 2027 race in their favor.

Political analysts say the APC’s decision will reveal a lot about how the party views loyalty versus opportunism. Does it reward those who stayed through the hard times, or does it prioritize winning at all costs?

For now, the APC structure in Adamawa remains intact, with shared control among stakeholders who have been in the trenches for years. Kwacham emphasized that this structure is not something that can be easily dismantled or handed over to a newcomer.

“We have an established system here,” he said. “Any takeover by an incoming defector is impossible.”

But political systems in Nigeria are rarely as rigid as they seem. Money, federal backing, and the right connections can shift power overnight. If Fintiri comes with the blessing of the presidency, the local structure might find itself under pressure to bend.

The bigger question is whether Fintiri even wants to join a party where he would face immediate internal resistance. He currently controls the PDP machinery in Adamawa with little opposition. Moving to the APC would mean navigating a hostile environment where his every move would be scrutinized by loyalists like Kwacham.

Some political observers believe that the defection talk is a negotiating tactic. By floating the possibility of joining the APC, Fintiri could be angling for concessions from the PDP or testing the waters to see how much influence he would wield if he switched sides.

Others think the move is real and that Fintiri is simply waiting for the right moment to make his announcement. If that moment comes, it could be one of the most dramatic political shifts in Adamawa’s recent history.

As Nigerians watch developments in Adamawa keenly, the internal rift within the APC highlights the delicate balance between welcoming high-profile defectors for electoral gains and preserving the loyalty of grassroots members who have sustained the party through challenging times.

For Kwacham and his allies, the message is simple: the APC in Adamawa belongs to those who built it, and no governor, no matter how powerful, will be allowed to walk in and take over without a fight.

Whether that fight will play out in party meetings, at the ballot box, or in a full-scale internal rebellion remains to be seen. But one thing is certain: if Fintiri defects, the APC in Adamawa will never be the same.