Why we parted ways, Governor Fintiri speaks on relationship with Atiku

Governor Ahmadu Fintiri of Adamawa State has said his relationship with the chieftain of African Democratic Congress (ADC) and former Vice President , Atiku Abubakar, remains cordial despite defecting from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Speaking during a televised interview, the governor, said his relationship and communication with Atiku remain cordial despite political differences.

Atiku, also from Adamawa State, who is currently associated with the ADC, is seeking support to contest the presidency again after emerging as the PDP candidate in the 2023 election won by President Bola Tinubu.

Fintiri said he believes that the presidency should remain in the South until 2031, saying no northerner should join the 2027 presidential race in the interest of fairness and national unity.

He said power rotation remains vital to sustaining political stability in the country.

While acknowledging that every Nigerian has a constitutional right to seek elective office, Fintiri maintained that the South should be allowed to complete its turn under the informal zoning arrangement as against Atiku who wants to contest as president come 2027.

Fintiri stressed that Nigeria’s unity should take precedence over individual ambition, insisting that the South deserves to complete an eight-year tenure before power shifts back to the North.

He added that if no alternative candidate emerges, northerners should support President Tinubu to complete a second term, noting that some policies of the current administration are beginning to show positive results.

On the resignation of Atiku’s son, Adamu, from the Adamawa State Executive Council, the governor described the move as understandable.

According to him, the younger Atiku stepped aside to align politically with his father, adding that such decisions often carry moral considerations beyond partisan interests.