The former Speaker of the Adamawa State House of Assembly and serving member representing Yola South State Constituency, Alhaji Kabiru Mijinyawa, and thousands of his supporters defected from the All Progressives Congress to the Action People’s Movement on Monday.
In his letter addressed to the state chairman of the APC and dated September 13, 2026, the former speaker said a lack of rule of law and transparency in dealing with members of the party had pushed him out of the APC.
“The recent APC primary elections in Adamawa State were a demonstration that the party lacks internal democracy; people were picked as candidates without due process”, he said.
The former speaker’s exit from the APC came two days after hundreds of party chieftains, led by Alhaji Tahir Shehu, defected to the APM.
Shehu, who spoke at the APC stakeholders’ meeting at the Government House last Saturday and advised the party leadership to take urgent action to reconcile aggrieved members, told PUNCH that his exit was based on the lack of internal democracy in the party.
“For us to go into the general elections as a united family, there is an urgent need to reconcile aggrieved members of the party and give them hope that they are important members of the family. They are not asking for anything, but let the party leadership show them that they are important organs of the APC in Adamawa State.”
The defections of the APC chieftains have heightened the political temperature in the state, with Alhaji Abdulraman Haske picking the governorship ticket of the APM.
Haske was alleged to have won the APC governorship ticket but was replaced with Alhaji Ahmad Galadima.
In the Adamawa State Central Senatorial District, Abdulraman Abbati, who was contesting for the seat unopposed, was replaced with Alhaji Salihu Mustapha, a governorship aspirant, while in the Adamawa State Southern Senatorial District, Mr Peter Fwa, who was also unopposed, was replaced with Mr Felix Tangwami, a governorship aspirant.
Mr Fwa and thousands of his supporters have joined the Labour Party.
Speaking on the mass defection of APC chieftains and their supporters, the publicity secretary of the Adamawa State chapter of the APC, Mr Dogo Victor, described their defections as political tourism.
“Tahir Shehu was the Peoples Democratic Party PDP chairman for two terms; he could not win his local government, Ganyi, during the last by-election in Ganyi state constituency, lost his polling unit directly opposite his private house. So what is his political value in APC?” he asked.
Dogo, who insisted that with Governor Ahmadu Fintiri in office and his performance, the APC would win the 2027 general elections, claimed that his party was in charge of the grassroots in the state.
However, when PUNCH Online reminded Dogo that former Governor Jibrilla Bindow lost to Fintiri while serving as governor, he switched off his phone.
