Fintiri defends Adamawa APC primary, dismisses protests as inexperience

A group within the ruling All Progressives Congress in Adamawa State, known as the Central Senatorial Zone APC Elders, has called on President Bola Tinubu to hold Governor Ahmadu Fintiri accountable if the state is lost to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar in the 2027 general election.

Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday in Yola, the spokesman of the group, Alhaji Mohammed Song, alleged that moves to impose a senatorial candidate on the people of the zone could undermine the president’s chances in the state.

He said the people of the central zone have endorsed Aliyu Abbati, from Yola North Local Government Area, as their preferred candidate for the Senate seat.

“Since the creation of Adamawa State, Yola North, the state headquarters, has never produced a senator. All the other four local governments have produced senators. Abbati is the only aspirant who went to all six local governments. We have not seen any aspirant coming to us to declare interest,” he said.

Song warned that internal party disputes could affect the APC’s electoral fortunes in the state.

“Fintiri’s game plan will sink President Tinubu’s election. Senator Iyya Abbas is contesting for governor; he toured all the local governments. After screening of aspirants, we learned that Abbas is now contesting for the Senate. How?” he asked.

He also urged President Tinubu to intervene early, warning that tensions between Governor Fintiri and the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, could affect the party’s performance in Adamawa.

“Fintiri led the anti-party campaign against Ribadu. When the NSA in 2015 was imposed on the Peoples Democratic Party, Ribadu lost to the APC. So the governor should know that the same will repeat if he imposes his stooge on the Central Senatorial Zone,” Song said.

He added that the Central Senatorial Zone, due to its strategic location as host to the state capital, has over 500,000 registered voters capable of influencing the outcome of elections.

Reacting to complaints and protests over the conduct of the primaries in an interview with reporters on Tuesday, Fintiri said the process was generally credible, noting that minor issues recorded were due to human error.

“At that level, you expect reactions. Many of them are young and vibrant, and particularly inexperienced politicians who believed it would be easy to secure victory. But politics is not that way,” he said.

“It was fair and credible. The few hitches were due to human error, which is normal. I believe we have delivered a credible process,” he added.

Fintiri further stated that lessons from previous party exercises would help improve future primaries, assuring members of a more transparent and competitive process going forward.