From Joseph Asegba, Yola
The Adamawa State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has provided logistics support to its 21 local government chairmen, with party leaders saying the vehicles will help them cover the state’s 226 wards and drive grassroots mobilisation for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s 2027 re-election bid.
Party officials said the support was provided by Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri, who now coordinates the APC campaign in the state after leaving the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in February 2026.
Fintiri also serves as patron of the Adamawa Renewed Hope 226 Movement (ARH226M), a structure established to organise the party from the ward to the state level.
The APC State Chairman, Hamza Madagali, said the gesture was intended to ease movement across the state’s large and often difficult terrain and bring party organisers closer to voters.
“The issue of election is on the ground, face to face. No social media issue, no tricks, no video clips; face to face with the electorate,” Madagali said.
He argued that the APC already had a stronger physical presence than its rivals.
“Please, let’s tell the truth. Which opposition do you see on the ground more than this party? Since the start of the campaigns, which opposition have you seen on the ground?” he asked.
The State Secretary, Mustapha Ribadu, was more cautious about the outcome but pointed to the importance of grassroots mobilisation.
“Nothing is certain in this world apart from death,” he said.
He added that the party’s activities across Adamawa were visible in a way that, according to him, those of the opposition were not.
“We are in Adamawa. This is where we are. We have been seeing activities of our party. What is their activity? What are they doing? What are they saying?” Ribadu asked, dismissing what he described as “social media noise.”
“There is no polling unit on Facebook, Twitter or TikTok. Polling units are where our cars are going to,” he added. Why the Vehicles Matter
Adamawa has 21 local government areas and 226 wards, with long distances between some communities and difficult road networks in certain areas.
Party mobilisation therefore depends heavily on physical contact with voters in markets, residential communities, churches, mosques, and polling units.
The donation follows a pattern seen in some other APC-controlled states, where governors have provided vehicles or buses to local party officials to support grassroots mobilisation.
In Adamawa, however, the development also has a political dimension, as local government chairmen who previously operated under a PDP administration are now being equipped to serve as part of the grassroots machinery of an APC presidential campaign.
Fintiri defected from the PDP with several members of his political structure, including cabinet members and other appointed officials.
According to party accounts, the realignment also extended to ward and local government structures.
At the April 2026 state congress, he announced the formation of the ARH226M, naming himself as patron and bringing local government chairmen, councillors, and support groups under one mobilisation platform.
He has also publicly pledged strong support for President Tinubu in the state.
Madagali, a former PDP state chairman, now leads the APC chapter, while Ribadu, who previously served within the old APC organisation, is the state secretary.
The combination of former political rivals forms part of the background to Friday’s logistics handover, as the party seeks to translate the political realignment into a stronger presence across all 226 wards.
APC’s Grassroots Argument
APC leaders are drawing a clear distinction between online political commentary and actual votes.
Their argument is that elections in Adamawa will ultimately be determined by organisers who can reach polling units rather than by social media posts and videos.
The vehicles are therefore being presented as practical tools for moving party chairmen, agents, and campaign materials across wards that social media cannot reach.
Ribadu challenged opposition parties to demonstrate comparable structures, programmes, and grassroots activities, while Madagali maintained that the APC’s presence was already stronger.
Neither official claimed that the 2027 election had already been won.
The effectiveness of the new logistics and the 226-ward mobilisation structure will depend on whether they translate into sustained engagement with voters or remain largely a campaign-day display.
Adamawa has a history of producing unexpected electoral outcomes, with local voters sometimes defying the expectations of prominent political figures.
The 2027 election will therefore provide a test of whether the APC’s new structure and grassroots strategy can translate political realignment into votes.