FORMER Vice President Atiku Abubakar has been stripped of his traditional title of Waziri Adamawa, following a new directive by the Adamawa State government.
The directive mandates that only indigenes can serve as kingmakers or council members in traditional institutions.
Abubakar, who hails from Jada in the Ganye Emirate, was turbaned the seventh Waziri of the Adamawa Emirate in 2018 by the Lamido of Adamawa, Muhammadu Barkindo. The position placed him next in hierarchy to the Lamido within the emirate council.
However, in a circular dated June 19 and signed by the Permanent Secretary of the Department of Chieftaincy Affairs, Adama Felicity Mamman, the government ordered that all traditional council members must be indigenes of the emirates or chiefdoms they represent.
This policy effectively disqualifies Abubakar from continuing in his role, as he is not considered an indigene of the Adamawa Emirate.
The circular states: “All kingmakers and council members in the state must be indigene of their chiefdoms… With the content of this circular, all kingmakers and council members who are not indigenes of the chiefdoms have been relieved of their appointments.”
The directive, which takes immediate effect, follows the creation of seven new emirates and chiefdoms by Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri in December 2024, raising the number of traditional councils in the state to 14.
Fintiri’s spokesperson, Humwashi Wonosikou, emphasised that the policy was not new but was only being enforced through the recent circular.
He added that concerns about loyalty influenced the decision, as non-indigenes might not fully align with the interests of the emirates they serve.
Responding to questions about how the directive affects Abubakar, Wonosikou said the final say rested with the Lamido of Adamawa.
“Alhaji Atiku Abubakar lives in Yola and is a registered voter there, so only the Lamido can determine his indigeneship status,” he noted.
He also denied any political motivations or rift between the governor and the former vice president, calling such speculation ‘unfounded.’
Abubakar’s media adviser, Paul Ibe, said Tuesday night that he was unaware of the new development or any directive affecting the former vice president’s traditional title.
The ICIR reports that there have been feelers that the governor is unhappy with Abubakar’s recent political alignment with the Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, and others, preparatory to the 2027 general election.
Fintiri and Abubakar belonged to the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) until recently that it appeared that the latter had abandoned the party for a new coalition.