Adamawa Governor Ahmadu Fintiri has hinted at defection from PDP to APC based on constituents’ wishes Political reactions showed mixed sentiments regarding Fintiri’s potential party switch Fintiri is one of the last PDP governors amidst increasing defections to the APC

Governor Ahmadu Fintiri of Adamawa has spoken on the possibility of him dumping the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the possible ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

The governor, while addressing questions on his defection plan, said he would not hesitate to leave the party if his people asked him to leave the PDP. He added that he is still consulting with his people.

Governor Fintiri said:

“There are a lot of rumours about whether Fintiri will defect to the (APC) or not. If that is the wish of my people to defect, politics is all about people. I’m still consulting, and if my people say I should move, I will move.” 

Fintiri is one of the four governors who were left in the PDP, following the defection of Governor Sheriff Oborevwori, Umo Eno, Agbu Kefas, Siminalayi Fubara, and Peter Mbah of Delta, Akwa Ibom, Taraba, Rivers and Enugu states, respectively. Currently, the PDP has Governor Fintiri, Dauda Lawal of Zamfara, Bala Mohammed of Bauchi and Seyi Makinde of Oyo State.

However, Governor Fintiri’s comment has started generating responses from Nigerians. Below are some of their reactions:

King Dave said that the governor is on his way to the APC:

“In Nigeria, when a governor says, “I am consulting my people,” it means “I am checking the size of the federal allocation.” Fintiri is playing a high-stakes game of political chicken with the PDP. He already betrayed Atiku, and he is on his way to the APC.”

Davinci commented on the political terrain in the state:

Politics is really an interesting game. A PDP preparing to welcome an APC president. All billboards of PDP along the airport road to the Govt house have been pulled down, while APC billboard is mounted everywhere under the instruction of the Governor”.

Cassy Okosisi said:

“You all should just move, and let’s have only electronic transmission of result real time, without manual collation. Watch the fall of Apc.”

Ababakar Sadiq said the governor has recorded success under the PDP:

“Sir, you belong to the APC, Allah ya kiyaye hanya. We are glad all you’ve achieved so far is under the PDP… Mun gode.” 

Toba Truth said the governor should just dump the PDP for the APC:

“Which people? Your family people, or the people that voted for you, or the APC caucus, just move to the APC as simply as ABC.”

You can watch the governor’s video on X here:

There are a lot of rumors about whether Fintiri will defect to the (APC) or not. If that is the wish of my people to defect, politics is all about people. I'm still consulting, and if my people say I should move, I will move.

– Adamawa State Governor, Adamu Fintiri. pic.twitter.com/2KXsIBfjqh

— Imran Muhammad (@Imranmuhdz) February 12, 2026

Fifty years after the assassination of former Head of State, Murtala Muhammed, fresh memories have resurfaced through the emotional recollection of his former orderly, Michael Otuwe (retd.), who witnessed the failed 1976 coup firsthand.

In a rare interview conducted a decade ago and now revisited to mark the anniversary, the retired soldier recounts how the charismatic leader almost escaped his attackers, his experiences during the civil war, and the personal sacrifices that defined years of close service to one of Nigeria’s most revered military figures.

Recalling his journey into the military during the interview with Daily Trust, Otuwe narrated, “I am an Igala man from Olamoboro Local Government of Kogi State. I attended Ankpa Primary School and Ankpa Model Secondary School before I joined the profession I cherished most, the army.”

According to him, he enlisted in the Nigerian Army on September 11, 1967, at the Ikeja Military Cantonment in Lagos, where he underwent six months of training on the eve of the Nigerian Civil War.

“After the training I was posted to the Nigerian Army Signal Corps and incidentally, Murtala Ramat Mohammed was a Colonel then and the Inspector of Signals,” he added.

Otuwe said Muhammed personally chose him because of his discipline and neatness.

“He told me that he noticed how immaculate I was in my army dress when we do master parade. He picked me to be his orderly when I was a Lance Corporal,” he said.

He explained that he served closely with Muhammed through various postings, including during the civil war when the late General became the first General Officer Commanding of the Second Division of the Nigerian Army.

“I worked with him till he was killed, and that was 11 years,” Otuwe said, noting that during the period the General had three children, Aisha, Zakari and Fatima.

Otuwe described Muhammed as a strategic and disciplined military commander.

“He was an organiser of men and their welfare. He was smart and hardworking and thought of Nigeria first before anything,” he said.

He recalled an incident when Biafran soldiers encircled them.

“He did a wonderful tactical manoeuvre and retreated that baffled even we that were with him. When many wanted to surrender, he made a quest to fight and to win for Nigeria to continue as a united country.”

Surviving Ambushes

The retired soldier recounted several ambushes encountered during the war. He said, “We encountered many ambushes and attacks but one of the most memorable was when we were encircled at Ukpo Junction in Abbagana. Murtala did a tactical manoeuvre and withdrew and prepared for a defensive attack that led to the capture of many towns and cities.”

Otuwe added that after some operations, troops moved through Asaba and later to Idah in present-day Kogi State to prepare for further offensives.

“In 1968, there was a reshuffle that took General Murtala back to Lagos as Minister of Communications and Inspector of Signals. That meant he was doing two jobs at the same time,” he said.

Speaking on how his job affected his family, Otuwe said his wife had become accustomed to military life.

“She was married to a soldier, and she had become part of the system. When she saw us at home, it meant we were off duty,” he said.

He added that his children rarely saw him due to his demanding schedule.

“Most of my children almost forgot me as I left home at dawn and came back late in the night,” Otuwe noted.

Secret Visits, Price Monitoring

Otuwe also recounted how Muhammad disguised himself to monitor market prices in Lagos.

“I and his ADC, Lieutenant Akintunde Akinterinwa, once followed him to survey prices and the rising cost of goods,” he said.

“He wore a tracksuit, a face cap and dark goggles and rode a horse to a filling station, disembarked, tied it and entered Sangross (Lagos Island), then Ajegunle and later Agege markets. The ADC pretended that we were not together, and the ADC was writing the prices, and I was pretending to be a window shopper. A market woman told him to give other buyers a chance as people were more disciplined then, as everybody queued for their turn. After two weeks goods and meat came in ships. People tagged the meat as ‘Murtala Meat’”.

A former Chief of Staff to Governor Seyi Makinde and senior Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain in Oyo State, Bisi Ilaka, has officially resigned his membership of the party.