The views expressed in this piece are those of the author in his personal capacity. The Gazette News notes that the author holds an official position in the Adamawa State Government.
A senior aide to Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri has issued a sharp rebuttal to statements made by Labour Party House of Representatives candidate Hon. Vrati Sahulama Nzonzo, in which the former APC aspirant blamed the Governor for his failure to secure the party’s ticket for the Demsa, Numan, and Lamurde Federal Constituency primary, describing the allegations as misleading, historically dishonest, and driven by post-defeat frustration.
Emmanuel Philip Tumba, Senior Special Assistant to the Governor, said Nzonzo’s central argument collapsed under its own logic. “If Governor Fintiri alone was truly responsible for the outcome of the APC primaries, why did Hon. Vrati remain in the APC throughout the contest? Why did he only begin making these allegations after he failed to secure the party’s ticket?”
Tumba acknowledged that Governor Fintiri is the leader of the APC in Adamawa State but described it as both dishonest and simplistic to suggest that primary outcomes are determined by one individual. Party primaries, he argued, emerge from consultations, negotiations, and collective decisions involving stakeholders at multiple levels from the state to the national party leadership.
He then raised two historical allegations against Nzonzo that are likely to define the terms of this political exchange. The first concerns the 2023 Adamawa governorship election, during which the INEC Adamawa Resident Electoral Commissioner Hudu Yunusa Ari attempted to announce a result while collation was still ongoing in a move widely condemned as an attempted subversion of the election. Tumba alleged that Nzonzo publicly defended Ari’s actions during that controversy. “At a time when democratic principles were under attack, he chose to stand with those seeking to overturn the will of the people of Adamawa State.”
The second allegation is more personal and local. Tumba alleged that Nzonzo himself was imposed as Chairman of Lamurde Local Government during the Bindow administration after another candidate, identified as Hon. Tanpayo, had clearly won the election. “It is still fresh in memory how it became difficult for you to even move freely within Lamurde at the time, due to the anger and rejection of the people,” Tumba wrote.
Both allegations are disputed. Nzonzo has consistently presented himself as a victim of imposition in the APC primary, a position supported by documented protests in Numan, national media coverage of the DNL primary controversy, and his own public statements identifying the absence of any genuine primary exercise. His supporters and the broader narrative of the May 2026 APC primary season in Adamawa have consistently described the process as one in which preferred candidates were ratified rather than elected.
Tumba did not address the specific mechanics of the DNL primary or the documented absence of electoral officials that Nzonzo and fellow aspirant Justina Nkon reported. He focused instead on Nzonzo’s own political history and the logical inconsistency of a candidate who participated in a process he now claims was rigged.
On Fintiri’s 2027 Senate race for Adamawa North, Tumba expressed confidence that the governor’s record of transformational service in infrastructure, education, healthcare, and economic management placed him ahead of all predecessors in terms of impact and public trust.
He closed with a Hausa-language admonition to Nzonzo: “A fada wa Hon. Vrati Sahulama Nzonzo cewa idan zaɓe bai yi masa yadda yake so ba, hakuri ake yi.” If the election did not go the way you wanted, patience is required.
Both Nzonzo and Tumba have now placed their arguments in the public record. The people of Demsa, Numan, and Lamurde, who will vote in the 2027 general election, are the audience that matters most.
Defeat, Defection and Desperation: Setting the Record Straight on Hon. Vrati Sahulama Nzonzo’s Claims
I recently came across a video by Hon. Vrati Sahulama Nzonzo, a former APC aspirant for the House of Representatives seat representing Demsa, Numan, and Lamurde Federal Constituency, in which he attempted to blame Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri for the outcome of the APC primaries that he lost before eventually defecting to the Labour Party, where he secured the party’s ticket as a consensus candidate.
His comments are not only misleading but reveal the frustration of a politician who has struggled to come to terms with a political setback.
The first question any reasonable observer should ask is simple: if Governor Fintiri alone was truly responsible for the outcome of the APC primaries, why did Hon. Vrati remain in the APC throughout the contest? Why did he only begin making these allegations after he failed to secure the party’s ticket?
The reality is obvious. He participated in the APC primary process and sought the support and confidence of APC stakeholders, and when the outcome did not favour him, he abandoned the party and found refuge in the Labour Party, where he eventually secured a ticket. That is his democratic right. What is not acceptable is attempting to rewrite history simply because the result did not go his way.
Yes, Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri is the leader of APC in Adamawa State. However, it is both dishonest and simplistic to suggest that the outcome of APC primaries is determined by one individual. Political parties function through consultations, negotiations, and collective decisions involving stakeholders at various levels, from the state to the national leadership.
To single out Governor Fintiri as the sole architect of an outcome that emerged from a broader stakeholder process is not only misleading but also undermines the role of numerous party leaders and stakeholders who participated in those decisions. If Hon. Vrati has concerns about the process, those concerns should be directed at the party mechanism as a whole, not reduced to personal attacks against one individual.
What makes these accusations even more difficult to take seriously is the messenger behind them.
Adamawa people have not forgotten the events surrounding the 2023 governorship election. When the infamous attempt was made to unlawfully announce a winner while collation was still ongoing, Hon. Vrati was among those who publicly defended the action of Hudu Yunusa Ari. At a time when democratic principles were under attack, he chose to stand with those seeking to overturn the will of the people of Adamawa State.
The same you, Vrati, that was imposed on the people of Lamurde as Chairman during the Bindow administration, after Hon. Tanpayo clearly won the election as Chairman. It is still fresh in memory how it became difficult for you to even move freely within Lamurde at the time, due to the anger and rejection of the people. History is not easily erased.
It is therefore astonishing to hear lectures about fairness, democracy, and political interference from someone who has repeatedly found himself on the wrong side of democratic principles in critical moments of Adamawa’s political history.
The truth is that Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri’s political record speaks for itself. His rise in politics was not built on imposition, conspiracy, or manipulation. It was built on electoral victories, public trust, and consistent performance.
He was elected into the House of Assembly by his people and earned a second term through their continued confidence in his leadership. He subsequently won the trust of his colleagues and became Speaker of the Adamawa State House of Assembly. As Acting Governor, he left an enduring impression through purposeful leadership and commitment to public service. In 2019, he defeated an incumbent governor and emerged victorious through the ballot box. In 2023, despite desperate attempts by Hudu Yunusa Ari and his collaborators, the people of Adamawa stood firmly behind him and renewed his mandate.
Talking about Governor Fintiri and the 2027 senatorial election, one does not need a soothsayer to know the outcome. As it stands, the overwhelming support from the people of Adamawa North, who have consistently expressed confidence in his leadership, speaks volumes.
Throughout his tenure, Governor Fintiri has distinguished himself through transformational projects in infrastructure, education, healthcare, urban renewal, security support, rural development, and economic management. His administration’s achievements are visible across the state and have earned him recognition beyond partisan lines.
This is why attempts to drag his name into the internal affairs of the APC are nothing more than an attempt to divert attention from the real issue: an aspirant contested, lost a primary election, defected to another party, secured a ticket there, and is now searching for someone to blame for his earlier defeat.
Politics is not always about winning. Every election produces both winners and losers. True democrats accept outcomes with dignity, learn from setbacks, and move forward. They do not resort to conspiracy theories or attempt to discredit others simply because events did not unfold in their favour.
Even more ironic is the fact that the same individual now portraying himself as a victim of political injustice once defended the attempted daylight robbery of the mandate of the people of Adamawa in 2023. Those who stood on the wrong side of history during that critical moment should exercise caution before claiming the moral high ground.
As a youth and upcoming politician, Hon. Vrati should be promoting responsible political discourse rather than narratives driven by disappointment and resentment. Leadership demands restraint, honesty, and consistency.
The people of Adamawa are politically enlightened. They know who stood with democracy when it mattered most and who stood against it. They know who has consistently earned mandates through the ballot box and who has repeatedly struggled to secure the confidence of the electorate and party stakeholders.
A fada wa Hon. Vrati Sahulama Nzonzo cewa idan zaɓe bai yi masa yadda yake so ba, hakuri ake yi. Defeat is not a crime, and there is no shame in losing an election. The true test of character is how one responds after defeat.
Defection may change a politician’s party platform, but it cannot change the facts. History remains a faithful witness, and the facts remain stubborn.