Vice-President Kashim Shettima says Governor Ahmadu Fintiri and his teeming supporters are not joining the All Progressives Congress as strangers but as partners in nation-building.

Mr Shettima said this on Monday in Yola, the Adamawa capital, when he formally received Mr Fintri and his supporters into the APC on behalf of President Bola Tinubu.

According to him, the governor’s entry into the APC’s fold is a reminder that democracy can also be sustained by the responsibility of political leaders to make choices that strengthen the system they serve. 

Mr Shettima told the new party entrants that their arrival aligned with a vision that places Nigerians at the centre of governance.

According to him, the APC understands that power is not an end but a responsibility.

“On behalf of His Excellency, President Bola Tinubu, I extend a warm and sincere welcome to you, Governor Fintiri, and to all your supporters who have made this journey today.

“You are not strangers to this house. You are partners in a shared mission—to build a nation that works, a democracy that delivers, and a future that rewards the aspirations of our people,” Mr Shettima.

Mr Shettima described democracy as the marketplace of choices, “where preferences are tested, where convictions are weighed’ and “where the will of the people finds expression”, noting that under President Bola Tinubu, the APC has shown progressive leadership.

“I am therefore excited to join you in another endorsement of the progressive politics the All Progressives Congress has demonstrated under the leadership of President Tinubu,” he said.

The vice-president said he was in Yola because the party had become a platform worthy of Nigerians’ trust.

“The mass exodus from other political parties to the APC fold is an indication that when given alternatives, the people will always gravitate towards structure, vision, order, and towards a party that understands the burden of governance,” Mr Shettima stated.

He acknowledged that the governing party needs the wisdom and fresh ideas of those who have walked the long road of public service to  keep it alive to current demands and future uncertainties.

Mr Shettima also said that Mr Fintiri’s entry into the APC was an infusion of new thinking into the party ranks.

“Political parties must breathe. They must adapt. They must draw strength from the diversity of thought if they are to endure. This convergence, therefore, is not an end in itself; it is a renewal of purpose and hope,” he added.

He commended Mr Fintiri’s stewardship in Adamawa, acknowledging the roads, public works, and other quiet signs of development that greet every visitor on arrival in Yola.

“These not only testify to the governor’s diligence and commitment but are also evidence of the purposeful governance he has demonstrated.

“They speak of a leadership that understands that governance is measured in results. For this, Your Excellency, we salute your work ethic, and we look forward to forging a partnership that advances not just Adamawa State, but the entire nation,” he stated.

Mr Shettima also urged party faithful to build a political movement that remains the choice of Nigerians both by design and performance.

The APC national chairman, Nantawe Yilwatda, also praised Mr Fintiri for infrastructure development in Adamawa.

Mr Yilwatda also applauded the governor’s strides in education, health and other critical sectors of the economy in Adamawa.

“Your Excellency, I am proud of you. You are too good to be in the opposition. You are good to belong to the progressives, Your Excellency, you are welcome to where you rightly belong,” he stated.

Senate President Godswill Akpabio hailed Fintriri for making a bold decision by joining the progressives, noting that the governor has done well in the state.

Deputy Senate President Jibrin Barau, Mr Akpabio said, having joined the APC, Mr Fintri now has the opportunity to interact with fellow APC governors.

According to him, the movement has enabled Adamawa to join the mainstream of national politics  in the country.

The chairman of the Progressives Governors Forum, Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo, recalled that the APC was the only party to assume office with a vision for a Renewed Hope Agenda, pioneered and authored by Mr Tinubu.

Mr Uzodimma, who described the APC as a brand, added that “it is either APC or nothing”.

The PGF chairman said that the arrival of the Adamawa governor in the APC would usher in greater progress and development for the state.

Mr Fintiri said he joined the APC to align with the good policies and programmes of the Tinubu administration, which were already working and placing Nigeria in the comity of great nations.

“Mr President has done so much and has put the country on a recovery path, especially with the microeconomic policies of the administration. So, we have come with a good number to support him and support the APC to win the 2027 elections,” he said.

The governor assured that with him in the state, the road to 2027 will not be bumpy for the APC and Mr Tinubu, promising the party a landslide victory.

Mr Fintiri maintained his stance that “the South must complete their eight years”, urging every Nigerian to support the president to complete his eight-year tenure.

(NAN)