By Beatrice Gondyi
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Adamawa State has suffered a major political setback after all 21 local government chairmen and 226 councillors across the state resigned from the party and defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
The mass defection, which political observers describe as a collapse of the PDP’s grassroots structure in Adamawa, saw the council chairmen submit resignation letters to their various ward chairmen across the 21 local councils on Monday.
In resignation letters sighted by our correspondent, the chairmen cited personal reasons following consultations with their families and political associates.
The Chairman of Demsa Local Government Area, Mr. Akham Jalo, said he decided to leave the PDP for the ruling party after consultations with his family, political associates, stakeholders and the people of Demsa.
“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,” Jalo stated.
“This movement is for collective progress, unity and development, and my administration remains committed to good governance, peace and the welfare of the people.”
Jalo expressed gratitude to the leadership and members of the PDP for the opportunity given to him to serve, assuring the people of Demsa that his defection to the APC would open new doors of opportunities and accelerated development for the council.
He called on his supporters and loyalists to remain calm, united and to rally behind the APC for a greater Demsa, a greater Adamawa and a greater Nigeria.
Confirming the development, the state Publicity Secretary of the APC, Victor Dogo, said all 21 council chairmen moved to the party on Monday, October 19, 2026.
Dogo attributed their defection to a move to “align with their political godfather, Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri, who has been there for them always.”
“All the 21 local government area chairmen, Area Development administrators and the 226 councillors in the state are aligning with their godfather, Governor Fintiri, who paved the way for them. They said they felt they were wasting their time by not being on the same political platform as their godfather,” Dogo said.
Political analysts in the state, however, described the defection as a staged move that had long been in the works, raising questions about the timing and political calculations behind the mass crossover.
The defection deals a significant blow to the PDP’s presence at the grassroots level in Adamawa, with the party losing its entire local government leadership structure to the ruling APC in a single sweep.
Observers say the development could reshape the state’s political landscape ahead of future elections, as the APC consolidates its hold on grassroots governance across all 21 local government areas.
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