The Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) landslide victory in Adamawa’s local government elections has sparked fresh debate over the 2027 governorship contest. But the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and other opposition parties insist the council poll is no barometer of the race ahead, JOY DENNIS reports.

Politicians in Adamawa State are still trying to make sense of the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) sweeping victory in the recent local government elections, despite the defection of Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri and most of the state’s political establishment to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

While some observers describe the outcome as evidence of Fintiri’s political dexterity, others, including the PDP’s governorship candidate, Dr Maurice Vunobolki, insist that the results simply reaffirm the party’s enduring popularity and grassroots support across the state.

The debate over whether the PDP’s clean sweep of the 21 local government chairmanship seats and 226 councillorship positions is a reliable indicator of the coming February 2027 governorship election gathered momentum during the inauguration of the newly elected council chairmen.

Opposition parties questioned how the PDP secured victory across all the councils despite the governor’s membership of the APC. Some critics alleged that the outcome portrayed Fintiri as pursuing a double political agenda and argued that his new party should scrutinise the circumstances surrounding the election.

Supporters of Vunobolki, however, dismissed such claims, maintaining that the results reflected the independent disposition of Adamawa voters rather than political manipulation.

The PDP governorship candidate told The Guardian that while several opposition parties stayed away from the election, believing the outcome had already been determined in favour of the APC, he embarked on an extensive statewide campaign alongside the party’s chairmanship and councillorship candidates, visiting communities across the 21 local government areas.

Questions over the governor’s defection
GOVERNOR Fintiri’s defection to the APC, along with many political appointees, lawmakers, party stakeholders, and supporters, came as a surprise to many in the state’s political circles.

Although several of his loyalists privately questioned the rationale behind the move, many eventually followed him into the ruling party.

The development has since fuelled speculation over whether the local government election results reflected the governor’s continued political influence within the PDP or the party’s enduring electoral strength despite losing its most prominent figure in the state.

While PDP supporters argue that the outcome demonstrates the party’s capacity to reclaim the Government House in 2027, APC leaders contend that Fintiri effectively left the PDP to fend for itself after failing to secure the party’s governorship ticket for his preferred successor.

The controversy has, in turn, intensified debate over whether the council poll was a genuine reflection of the electorate’s mood or merely another episode in Adamawa’s increasingly complex political realignment.

Opposition faults credibility of poll
THE National Deputy Secretary of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Shehu Yohana, dismissed the outcome of the council poll, insisting that it lacked credibility and could not serve as a basis for assessing any party’s political strength ahead of the 2027 governorship election.

Speaking with The Guardian, Yohana argued that it was inconceivable for a single party to win all 21 chairmanship seats and the 226 councillorship positions in a politically diverse state such as Adamawa.

According to him, the outcome was largely a consequence of political events that unfolded before Governor Fintiri defected from the PDP to the APC.

“When the governor was still in the PDP, the party had concluded its primaries and produced candidates for the local government election. By the time he moved to the APC, those candidates had already emerged on the PDP platform, and there was no basis for changing them. That is why the PDP eventually won all the chairmanship and councillorship seats,” he said.

Yohana described the result as “the eighth wonder of the world”, maintaining that no credible election could produce such a uniform outcome.

“It is difficult to explain how one party could win all 226 councillorship seats. In every election, there should be some level of competition and diversity in the results. To me, that suggests the process had been concluded long before election day.

“This is not peculiar to Adamawa. Across the country, governors often determine the outcome of local government elections. Until the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is empowered to conduct council elections, state governments will continue to exercise overwhelming influence over the process.”

The Adamawa State Secretary of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Martins Dickson, also questioned the credibility of the exercise, arguing that what took place could hardly be described as a genuinely competitive election.

According to him, voting was not widespread enough to justify the outcome announced by the State Independent Electoral Commission.

“You could hardly find polling units where voting was taking place on a large scale. At best, there were a few units in some local government areas. What eventually happened was that candidates who had emerged during the PDP primaries simply retained their positions despite the governor’s subsequent defection to the APC,” he said.

Dickson added that the election had deepened divisions within the state’s ruling party. “There is now obvious friction between members of the legacy APC and those who moved from the PDP. Many APC members believe the governor worked against his new party by allowing PDP candidates to emerge, and that has continued to generate controversy.”

While insisting that the election lacked transparency, the ADC chieftain rejected suggestions that the outcome reflected the true political mood of the state.

“The narrative that the PDP independently won all the seats does not reflect what actually happened. The governor had already positioned his loyalists before leaving the PDP. Those candidates remained on the party’s platform and eventually occupied the offices after the election.”

The PDP, however, rejected allegations that the exercise was manipulated or that its newly elected chairmen and councillors were merely beneficiaries of political arrangements made before the governor’s defection.

The party’s State Secretary, Shekarau Yerima, attributed the landslide victory to an extensive grassroots campaign and the confidence reposed in the PDP by the electorate despite the governor’s exit.

According to him, party leaders traversed the 21 local government areas, engaging directly with voters and highlighting the achievements of the PDP administration.

“We went round the entire state to canvass support for our candidates, and the people responded positively because they have seen what the PDP has done over the years,” Yerima said.

He maintained that the governor’s defection did not diminish the PDP’s support base, insisting that the party remained deeply rooted across Adamawa.

Yerima also dismissed speculation that the newly elected council officials would eventually defect to the APC, expressing confidence that the PDP would build on its local government election victory in next year’s governorship poll.

He added that the party was already intensifying efforts to encourage eligible voters to obtain their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs), describing them as the most effective instrument for determining the outcome of the 2027 election.

Focus shifts to governorship contest
WITH the local government election now concluded, political attention in Adamawa has shifted to the February 6, 2027, governorship poll, where the APC, PDP, ADC and the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) are expected to test their strength in what promises to be a keenly contested race.

Although the PDP has continued to celebrate its clean sweep of the council election as evidence of its enduring popularity, opposition parties insist that the governorship contest will present an entirely different political equation.

The Adamawa State Chairman of the ADC said the outcome of the council poll would have little bearing on the governorship election, expressing confidence that his party remained well positioned to mount a formidable challenge.

According to him, the governorship race would be determined by broader political considerations, including public perception of the major parties, the quality of candidates and the level of voter mobilisation.

“Our chances remain very bright because the governorship election is different from a local government poll,” he said.

“We believe the APC has imposed an unpopular candidate on its members, just as the governor was accused of imposing candidates during the council election. The grievances arising from that process are strengthening our support base.”

Similarly, the National Deputy Secretary of the NDC, Shehu Yohana, expressed confidence in the electoral prospects of the party’s governorship candidate, Senator Aishatu Dahiru Binani.

He said Binani’s record as a former member of the House of Representatives and senator representing Adamawa Central had earned her widespread acceptance across the state.

“Her performance in public office speaks for itself,” Yohana said. “The projects and interventions she attracted to communities across the three senatorial districts are still appreciated by the people. That is why she continues to enjoy tremendous support.”

Although the Adamawa State Chairman of the APC declined to comment on the outcome of the local government election, the party’s State Secretary, Victor Dogo, maintained that its governorship candidate, Tijjani Galadima, remained well-positioned to win the 2027 poll.

Dogo described Galadima as the product of a consensus reached within the APC, stressing that the party was united behind his candidature.

He also said the governorship candidate had pledged to consolidate on the achievements of Governor Fintiri by sustaining ongoing development initiatives across the state.

Despite their differing interpretations of the council election, the major political parties agree on one point: the governorship election will be decided by a wider range of political and electoral factors than those that shaped the local government poll.

For that reason, analysts believe the council election may have provided an indication of existing political alignments but is unlikely, on its own, to determine the outcome of the governorship race, which will involve higher voter turnout, greater national attention and a more competitive political environment.

The contest, they argue, will ultimately test not only the popularity of the candidates but also the organisational strength of their parties, their ability to retain loyal supporters and persuade undecided voters in what is expected to be one of the state’s most closely watched elections in recent years.

Speaking shortly after the Chief Judge of Adamawa State, Justice Hafsat Abdurrahman, administered the oaths of office and allegiance on the newly elected council chairmen in Yola, Governor Fintiri urged them to justify the confidence reposed in them by delivering the dividends of democracy to the grassroots.

He reminded the chairmen that local government remains the closest tier of government to the people and, therefore, bears the responsibility of translating government policies into tangible improvements in the lives of rural communities.

“You are in a vantage position to project the right image of government and ensure that our pro-people policies translate into meaningful development in your respective councils,” Fintiri said.

Responding on behalf of the newly inaugurated chairmen, the Chairman of Yola North Local Government Area, Ibrahim Jimeta, expressed appreciation to the governor for creating what he described as an enabling environment for a peaceful and successful election.