North Has No Business Vying for Presidency in 2027, Says Governor Fintiri

Adamawa State Governor, Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri, has declared that politicians from the Northern region should not contest for the presidency in the 2027 general elections, insisting that it is the turn of the South to complete an eight-year tenure in office.

In a bold statement on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Tuesday, Governor Fintiri argued that the principle of rotational presidency, which has been an informal arrangement to ensure national unity, must be respected by all political actors.

“Nobody in the North has business at the moment to vie for the office of the president. It is the South’s turn; they should complete their eight years if we are really serious about this country and leadership”, Fintiri stated emphatically

His comments come at a time when political realignments are intensifying ahead of the 2027 elections, and they directly challenge any Northern aspirants—including his own former political ally, ex-Vice President Atiku Abubakar—who may be nursing presidential ambitions.

Defending the Defection to APC

During the interview, Governor Fintiri also addressed his recent high-profile defection from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

He dismissed suggestions that the move was motivated by personal political ambition, framing it instead as a strategic decision to benefit the people of Adamawa State.

“The move was purely in the interest of the people and the state,” he explained. “For long, it is not about winning elections but aligning and getting more for our people.”

Despite leaving the party where he clinched his governorship seat, Fintiri was careful to maintain cordiality regarding his relationship with Atiku Abubakar, a PDP stalwart and fellow Adamawa indigene.

“I still have (a relationship with Atiku). There is nothing that has gone bad. It is just that everybody has taken their political ways, and I am today in APC, they are in another party,” he clarified.

Advocacy for State Policing

Shifting focus to the persistent security challenges in the country, particularly in his state, the Governor threw his weight behind the long-debated call for the establishment of state police.

Arguing that the current security architecture is overstretched, Fintiri noted that ungoverned spaces remain vulnerable to criminal activity. He suggested that a decentralized force could effectively complement federal security agencies.

“Of course, for now, that is the only answer,” Fintiri said regarding state police. “We can’t ask that we have a private army, but we can have the state police, which, to me, if properly motivated and equipped, can cover those areas.”