Fintiri: My 2023 Electoral Battle Experience ‘Embarrassing Assault’ on Our Democracy

Daji Sani in Yola

Adamawa State Governor, Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri, has described the 2023 gubernatorial election in the state as one of the most dangerous assaults on Nigeria’s democracy, revealing that the electoral battle exposed treachery, moral compromise, and desperate opportunism among the political elite.

Speaking at Muna Hotel in Yola, at the unveiling and public presentation of a book, “Fintiri: The Man They Could Not Stop” and written by Journalist Solomon Kumangar, the governor reflected on what he called an orchestrated attempt to undermine the will of the Adamawa people through electoral manipulation.

“In 2023, we saw treachery. We saw assault. We saw moral compromise of a bankrupt elite masked as patriots,” Fintiri told a gathering of dignitaries at the event.

The governor, who confessed he had not read the book despite his name and face appearing on the cover, endorsed Kumangar’s journalistic account while acknowledging its limitations.

The book focuses on the controversial 2023 Adamawa gubernatorial election, which saw dramatic scenes when suspended Resident Electoral Commissioner, Hudu Yunusa-Ari, illegally declared the APC candidate, Senator Aishatu Dahiru Binani, winner before collation was complete, a move swiftly nullified by the national headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Fintiri eventually secured victory with approximately 431,000 votes, defeating Binani who garnered about 399,000 votes.

Former Senate President and Kwara State Governor, Senator Bukola Saraki, described the book as a critical documentation of leadership that places people above power.

Saraki, who spoke on protecting electoral sanctity in Nigeria, said the writing of the book was not an exercise in comfort but an act of faith in truth, history, and the enduring value of leadership.

“This book, ‘Fintiri: The Man They Could Not Stop,’ did not begin as an idea in search of expression. It began as a responsibility and obligation to history,” Saraki stated.

The former Senate President emphasised that the book rejected flattery and embraced evidence, noting that Fintiri required no chorus of praise as his record stood as a more exacting witness.