Maurice Vonobolki, a candidate for governor of Adamawa in the 2027 election for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has declared that the age of political godfathers in the state is coming to an end.
Talking to reporters at Yola International Airport upon his return from Abuja with his certificate of return, Vonobolki stated that the influence of political godfathers came to a halt with the election of Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri in 2019.
The cancer known as ‘godfatherism’ was destroyed with the debut of Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri in the 2019 election, he proudly declared. With the exception of the backing of the Adamawa people, Fintiri did not have a godfather who helped him rise to power.
“We will put a stop to the politics of godfatherism,” he continued. You, the people of Adamawa State, shall control your own government. Ultimately, the government exists to serve the people.
While praising the PDP for giving all members an equal opportunity to run for office, Vonobolki did say that certain failed candidates were sowing discord and discordant seeds.
He assured everyone that the party’s candidates had emerged legitimately from the primaries thanks to the procedures sanctioned by the PDP and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The certificates of return given to the successful candidates, in his view, demonstrate that the Adamawa PDP is united. In his message to party members, he used the metaphor of “one big family” and urged them to stand together in the run-up to the 2027 election.
To counter what he called “false claims and propaganda,” Vonobolki made it clear that the visit was not campaign-related but rather to hand out certificates of return to party members.
And he added, “Under the leadership of Honourable Abraham Mohammed, who is the national chairman of the party, PDP remains one political party all over Nigeria.”
“We extend our hand of fellowship to all other members of PDP who feel aggrieved and want to come back home,” the candidate said, congratulating party members around the country and inviting unhappy members to return.
He was certain that his party would be victorious in the 2027 elections and that the fate of Adamawa state would be decided by its citizens.