Governor Ahmadu Fintiri of Adamawa State has explicitly stated that the presidency should remain in the South in 2027, arguing that “a northerner has no business” joining the race.
The Governor, who recently defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the All Progressives Congress (APC), made the submission on Tuesday while speaking on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily.
Fintiri insisted that the South deserves to complete a full eight-year tenure, consistent with the country’s informal power-sharing arrangement.
He argued that respecting this rotation is essential for maintaining fairness and ensuring all regions feel like “brother’s keepers”.
“There is no business of anybody in the north to do with the presidency at the moment. It is the turn of the south; they should complete their eight years, if we are really serious about this country.
“It should rotate so that we will all be brother’s keepers,” the governor said.
As a new leader within the APC, Fintiri has vowed to deliver Adamawa State for President Bola Tinubu’s potential re-election in 2027.
He however maintained that 2031 would be the appropriate time for the presidency to return to the North.
This stance places him in direct opposition to the ambitions of other northern politicians, including his former ally Atiku Abubakar, who has indicated plans to contest in the 2027 presidential election with the African Democratic Congress.
However, addressing his relationship with the former Vice-President, Fintiri said it remains cordial despite his recent defection to the ruling All Progressives Congress.
According to him, political differences have not affected their personal ties.
“I still have. 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,” the governor said.
Fintiri also defended his decision to join the APC amid growing criticism over the increasing number of defections to the ruling party and claims that Nigeria is drifting towards a one-party system.
The governor said his move was motivated by what he described as the need to better position Adamawa State to benefit from the federal government.
“The move was purely in the interest of the people and the state… because for long, it is not about winning elections but aligning and getting more for our people,” he said.
Fintiri, who is serving his second and final term in office, maintained that his political realignment was aimed at securing greater opportunities and development for the state.
