By Muazu Muazu, Yola
Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri of Adamawa state, has again re-echoed his call on his opponents and opposition political parties to put the interest of the state at heart, set aside politics and join him in the task of moving Adamawa forward if they are genuinely concerned about the development of the state.

Fintiri made this appealed recently in Yola while receiving decampees from the opposition African Democratic Congress (ADC)  which includeed state and local governments party excos, National and state Assembly aspirants and candidates as well as other critical stakeholders of ADC across the 21 local governments in the state who dumped the party for PDP.
“Right from the day of my inaguration as governor I extend my hands of fellowship to opposition and called on them to join me in the task of making Adamawa great again. I wish to use this opportunity to again re-iterate this call on them to put politics aside and come let’s us join hands to move Adamawa forward”.
He assured the defectors of equal opportunity in the party saying that his government is for all Adamawa people irrespective of political affiliations and vowed to do justice to all  without party consideration saying that his concern is the development of the state.

According to Fintiri, he will run an inconclusive government that will carry the people along and bring together any one who has something to contribute to the development of the state hence his recent appointments which cut across  different political divides to enable everybody contribute his quota to the development of the state.
The governor expressed serious concern  over the backwardness of the state and assured the people that he will not disappoint their expectations and will continue to hold their mandate in trust and fulfil all his promises.
He charged PDP excos in the state, especially at the ward and local government levels to integrate the decampees into their folds and give them equal rights and privileges like other members of the party stressing that, he won’t hesitate to take action against any reported case of violating this order and promised to take the defectors along in his government.
Reacting over this claim of massive defection to PDP, the gubernatorial candidate of African Democratic Congress (ADC) in 2019 election and ADC leader in Adamawa state, Sen.Abdulaziz Murtala Nyako has expressed disappointment with the government for blowing the whole thing out of proportion for selfish political interest and propaganda purposes.

He accused the PDP led administration of Gov. Fintiri of heating up the polity and wasting resources unnecessarily  when there is nothing politically at stake for now until 2022-2023 rather than focus on the needs of the people of the state pointing out that, the administration is more concerned with playing politics rather than governance.
“ADC in Adamawa has created an enabling environment for the PDP led government in the state to govern in political peace for the benefit of our people but they seem to be more keen on politicking rather than governance. They  created storm in a tea cup with nothing at stake and blew it out of proportion for propaganda purposes by claiming that, there have been mass defections from ADC to PDP”.
“Why heat up the polity and waste resources unnecessarily at this time when there is nothing politically at stake until 2022-2023 rather than focus on the needs of our people. Don’t they  have enough on their plate: Covid-19 pandemic, extreme poverty at the grassroots, kidnappings, shilla boys, Boko Haram, cattle rustling, poor internally generated revenue and recent ethno -religious killings around lamurde -Guyuk axis”.
“What is very unfortunate is that they even had the audacity to have a political programme for defection barely a month after the massacre at Tigno  and barely 10 days to the lost of lives and properties around Lafiya-Lamurde at a time when many of our people are mourning. Is this administration serious at all?
Also, reacting over this issue the Senator representing Adamawa North senatorial district, Sen. Elisha Ishaku Abbo accussed the government of dancing on the graves of innocent souls.

He advised the administration to give the people good governance and leave politics for now because that is not what matters to the people of the state at the moment.
“At the time Lamurde is mourning with over 2,800 internally displaced persons, IDPs, at a time Guyuk  is mourning with over 30,000  IDPs, at a time shilla boys are having a field day, at a time Madagali is attacked, at a time we are facing kidnappers, at a time we are still battling corona, a Nigerian governor is talking about decamping”.
“What have we done as a people. Is politics all that matters? Can someone tell Fintiri to please leave politics  for now and give us good governance?He will hear from us”.

However, defending the party and government’s decision to received the decampees,  Adamawa state chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Barrister A. T Shehu accussed Senator Nyako of whipping up sentiments against the governor saying that Adamawa has passed that level of primordial sentiments.
He made the party’s position known in  press statement made available to journalists in Yola where he advised the immediate past senator not to ventilate his frustrations on the government and bite the fingers that fed him as according to him PDP has done everything to him in his life.
Shehu further attributed the mass defection of ADC members in the state to their party to the fact that they did not see any hope in their present political party adding that, the mass defection of ADC members to PDP is not based on conjectures but is premised on physical and impirical evidence, even as he assured  Nyako that their hands is open to receive him back to PDP if he make up his mind to return to the party.