The Adamawa State Government has denied media report that some of its commissioners, referred to as “Atiku associates”, have defected or are planning to defect to join the former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, in the Peoples Democratic Party.
The state government, under Governor Jibrilla Bindow, was elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress.
The State Commissioner of Information and Strategy, Ahmad Sajoh, made this known Tuesday in a chat with News Agency of Nigeria in Yola.
Sajoh said following the media report, the affected commissioners had made it clear during the last State Executive Council meeting that they were still with the government.
He said: “The affected commissioners had during the last executive council meeting made it clear that they are still in APC government of Bindow.”
Also commenting on the development, the Commissioner for Agriculture, Ahmadu Waziri, who was mentioned in the media report to have defected to the APC, described the report as “character assassination”.
Waziri added: “I have never been an Atiku associate, even indirectly, and Bindow is my principal, not Atiku.”
Also speaking on the alleged mass defection in Adamawa State APC, the state chairman of the party, Alhaji Ibrahim Bilal, said there was no mass defection in the party.
Bilal said: “All our party executives in the state are intact and for sure the defection of Atiku will not affect the party’s fortunes in the state.”