Presidency Mocks Atiku After Fintiri’s Defection says ‘Time to Retire to Dubai’

Presidency Mocks Atiku After Fintiri’s Defection says ‘Time to Retire to Dubai’

The Presidency has mocked former Vice President Atiku Abubakar following the defection of Adamawa State Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri to the All Progressives Congress (APC), describing the move as a terminal blow to Atiku’s political relevance.

In a sharp-tongued post on his X handle, Bayo Onanuga, the spokesperson for President Bola Tinubu, said that Fintiri’s exit has effectively dismantled Atiku’s home base and turned the APC into an unstoppable force in Adamawa.

Onanuga’s remarks were pointed, arguing that with the 2027 presidential election less than a year away, Atiku now finds himself without a political foundation in his own state.

The spokesperson characterized Atiku’s new platform, the African Democratic Congress (ADC), as “largely unknown” in Adamawa and advised the former Vice President to reconsider his perennial presidential ambitions.

“If a politician is not so popular at home, he has no business selling his candidacy to outsiders,” Onanuga wrote, adding a final jab by suggesting the time has come for Atiku to retire from politics and relocate to his secondary residence in Dubai.

The political shift became official on Friday when Governor Fintiri announced his defection in a statewide broadcast, citing the “developmental interest” of the people of Adamawa as his primary motivation.

The Governor did not move alone; his entire cabinet, state lawmakers, and the local PDP leadership joined him in crossing over to the APC. This mass exodus has fortified President Tinubu’s party’s presence in the North-East, leaving the PDP and Atiku’s ADC struggling for a foothold in a state that was once considered a primary opposition stronghold.