Elected Chairmen, Councillors Defect to APC in Adamawa

Twenty-one local government area chairmen and 226 councillors in Adamawa State, who were elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), have defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Most of the defectors submitted resignation letters addressed to their respective ward chairmen, citing personal reasons and consultations with their families, political associates and other stakeholders as factors behind their decisions.

The development comes months after Adamawa State Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri left the PDP for the APC, a move that triggered the departure of several of his political loyalists from the opposition party.

The Adamawa State APC Publicity Secretary, Victor Dogo, confirmed the latest development, saying all 21 local government chairmen, area development administrators and 226 councillors in the state had joined the ruling party at the national level.

“All the 21 local government area chairmen, area development administrators and the 226 councillors in the state have moved into our party,” Dogo affirmed.

He explained that the council leaders decided to join the APC because they wanted to align with Governor Fintiri, whom he described as their political godfather.

According to him, the governor had paved the way for the elected officials, making their decision to follow him into the APC a continuation of their political alignment.

One of the defectors, Akham Jalo, chairman of Demsa Local Government Area, said his decision to leave the PDP followed consultations with his family, political associates, stakeholders and residents of the local government area.

Jalo explained that his move to the APC was motivated by the desire to support Fintiri’s political direction and attract more development to his council.

“My decision to join the APC was informed by the need to align with the progressive vision of His Excellency, Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri, and to attract more dividends of democracy to the people of Demsa,” he stated.

The defection follows months of speculation that the council chairmen and councillors elected under the PDP would eventually join the APC after the governor’s departure from the opposition party.

The council officials had contested and won their respective positions on the PDP platform during the local government elections conducted in June 2026, despite Fintiri’s defection to the APC in February.

The political arrangement for the local government elections had reportedly progressed significantly before the governor changed parties, leaving the candidates to contest under the PDP banner.

In June, the PDP won the chairmanship elections in all 21 local government areas of Adamawa State.

Before the elections, there had been speculation that the eventual winners would defect to the APC to align with Fintiri, whose departure from the PDP had been followed by the movement of several of his political associates into the ruling party.

However, the council chairmen had remained in the PDP during the election process, having already secured the party’s tickets to contest their respective positions.

Following their victories, the officials were inaugurated on June 15, 2026, amid expectations that they might eventually follow the governor into the APC.

At the time of their election, the PDP had celebrated the victories as evidence of its continued political strength in Adamawa State.

The party’s governorship candidate for the 2027 general elections, Chief Maurice Vunobolki, had congratulated the newly elected chairmen, describing their victories as a sign that the PDP remained popular among the people.

The elections were conducted by the Adamawa State Independent Electoral Commission (ADSIEC).