Ex-Adamawa Speaker Mijinyawa, Thousands of Supporters Quit APC for APM

The former Speaker of the Adamawa State House of Assembly and serving member representing Yola South Constituency, Alhaji Kabiru Mijinyawa, has formally defected from the All Progressives Congress (APC) to the Allied Peoples Movement (APM), taking thousands of supporters with him in a move that further deepens the crisis rocking the ruling party in the state ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Mijinyawa, a three-term lawmaker and former Speaker of the sixth Adamawa Assembly, announced the decision in a letter dated September 13, 2026, addressed to the state APC chairman. He cited the absence of the rule of law, lack of transparency in handling members, and the conduct of recent party primaries as the key reasons for his exit. “The recent APC primary elections in Adamawa State were a demonstration that the party lacks internal democracy; people were picked as candidates without due process,” he stated.

His defection comes just two days after hundreds of APC chieftains, led by Alhaji Tahir Shehu, also moved to the APM. Shehu, a former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chairman who spoke at an APC stakeholders’ meeting at the Government House last Saturday, had urged the party leadership to reconcile aggrieved members urgently so the party could enter the general elections as a united family. He told PUNCH that the absence of internal democracy forced his hand.

The wave of exits has intensified political tension in Adamawa. Businessman and politician Alhaji Abdulrahman (Bashir) Haske, widely regarded as a frontline APC governorship aspirant, has already secured the APM ticket for the 2027 race after resigning from the APC.

Haske formally announced his switch at a well-attended event in Yola that drew party leaders, traditional rulers, community stakeholders, youth and women groups, and supporters from all 21 local government areas. He said the APM offered a credible platform for a people-centred development agenda focused on agriculture, infrastructure, education, healthcare, economic empowerment, security and accountable governance. APM National Chairman Yusuf Mamman Dantalle endorsed Haske, describing him as embodying the party’s values of inclusive leadership and social impact.

Haske’s supporters had insisted he stood a strong chance of winning a free and fair APC primary. Reports indicate he was sidelined, with Alhaji Ahmad Galadima emerging as the APC governorship candidate instead. Similar replacements occurred in the senatorial races: in the Central Senatorial District, Abdulraman Abbati (who was running unopposed) was replaced by Alhaji Salihu Mustapha, a former governorship aspirant; in the Southern Senatorial District, Mr Peter Fwa (also unopposed) was replaced by Mr Felix Tangwami, another governorship aspirant. Fwa and thousands of his supporters have since joined the Labour Party.

These developments form part of a broader season of discontent within Adamawa APC, marked by allegations of imposition of candidates, ethnic and zoning calculations overriding competence, and insufficient internal democracy. Analysts note that when high-profile figures move with established grassroots structures, the impact can be significant and may attract further defections from other parties.

Reacting to the mass exits, Adamawa APC Publicity Secretary Mr Dogo Victor dismissed them as “political tourism.” He questioned Shehu’s political value, noting that the former PDP chairman failed to deliver his local government, Ganyi, in a recent by-election and even lost his own polling unit. Dogo insisted that with Governor Ahmadu Fintiri’s performance in office, the APC remains in control of the grassroots and will win the 2027 elections.

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When reminded that former Governor Jibrilla Bindow lost to Fintiri while still serving as governor, Dogo ended the conversation by switching off his phone.

Mijinyawa, who rose from local government councillor and supervisory roles to become Speaker in 2015 (serving four years) and has won re-election multiple times for Yola South, is a known grassroots mobiliser. His departure, alongside those of Haske, Shehu and others, signals a realignment that could reshape the state’s political landscape as parties prepare for 2027. The APM, once a smaller platform, is positioning itself as an alternative vehicle for aggrieved politicians seeking a more inclusive contest.