In what seems a political and traditional shake-up, the Adamawa State Government has officially stripped Nigeria’s former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, of his revered title as Waziri Adamawa, citing non-indigeneship—a move widely seen as a calculated effort to diminish his political influence in his home state.
The Waziri Adamawa is the second highest in authority after the paramount ruler, the Lamido of Adamawa.
This was disclosed in a circular dated June 20, 2025, and signed by Mrs. Adama Felicity Mamman, Permanent Secretary of the Department of Chieftaincy Affairs under the state Ministry for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs.
Also affected is the Walin Adamawa.
The circular reads in part “Following the creation of new Chiefdoms in the state by the Executive Governor of Adamawa State, Rt. Hon. Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri, I am directed to inform you that all Kingmakers and Council members in the state must be indigenes of their Chiefdoms.
It further gave an example that “all Kingmakers and Council members from Adamawa Emirate Council must be indigene of Yola South, Yola North, Girei, Mayo-Belwa, Song and Zumo Districts; while those of Mubi Emirate Council, must be indigene of Mubi North, Mubi South vis-à-vis all Emirates/Traditional councils in the state,”.
This effectively disqualifies Atiku, who hails from the Jada Local Government Area under the Ganye Chiefdom, from holding a title within the Adamawa Emirate Council.
This has however sparked outrage owing to the timing and the nature of the directive with many speculating that it is politically motivated to deliberately and publicly humiliate Atiku by Governor Umaru Fintiri—his former political ally during the 2023 general elections.
Both men contested under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), with Atiku running for President and Fintiri for governor.
But, the relationship between the two appears to have deteriorated dramatically, particularly in light of Atiku’s recent involvement in talks with Fintiri’s arch-rival, Aishatu Binani, Peter Obi and former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, to form a new opposition coalition aimed at unseating President Bola Tinubu’s APC in the 2027 elections.
