Umaru Ahmadu Fintiri

Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri (born 27 October 1967) is a Nigerian politician who has served as the governor of Adamawa State since 2019. He was a member of the Adamawa State House of Assembly and served as Speaker of the Assembly. He became the acting governor of Adamawa State following the impeachment of Governor Murtala Nyako in July 2014, serving until 8 October 2014.

After the collation of results of the state gubernatorial election held on 9 March 2019, Fintiri emerged winner of the election with the highest number of votes. However, the election was declared inconclusive because the number of cancelled votes was greater than the margin between the winner and his close opponent. In the early hours of Friday 29 March, he was declared winner of the by-election having secured 376,552 votes to defeat incumbent Bindo Jibrilla of the All Progressives Congress who polled 336,386 votes. He was re-elected into office in the 2023 General Elections. After the collation of results of the state gubernatorial election held on Saturday, March 18, 2023, Fintiri emerged winner of the election with the highest number of votes. However, the election was declared inconclusive. He was later declared winner of the by-election having secured 430,861 votes to defeat his closest rival Aishatu Dahiru Ahmed of the All Progressives Congress who polled 398,788 votes. The final results were announced by the INEC Returning Officer in the state, Mohammed Mele.

He is a popular politician and former ally of Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar. In the 9 March 2019 Adamawa State gubernatorial election, upon the completion of the 28 March 2019 Adamawa State supplementary election, Fintiri was declared winner with 376,552 votes, defeating the incumbent governor, Bindo Jibrilla of the All Progressives Congress, who polled 336,386 votes.

Following the impeachment of then-Governor Murtala Nyako in July 2014, he was appointed acting governor. He delegated control to Bala James Ngilari after three months. Ahmadu Fintiri has twice been governor of Adamawa State. He held a number of leadership positions in the House of Assembly before being elected Speaker, a position he held until 2015.

In March 2024, Fintiri launched an empowerment cash support scheme aimed at small-scale entrepreneurs. In February 2026, Fintiri left the Peoples Democratic Party to join the All Progressives Congress. Governor Fintiri received the Nigeria Excellence Awards in Public Service (NEAPS) Governor of the Year Award on Urban Infrastructure in 2025.

In August 2023, Fintiri appointed 47 media-related aides. The Adamawa State House of Assembly approved his appointment of 50 special advisers in June 2023. He appointed two Special Advisers, ten Senior Special Assistants, thirty-four Special Assistants on Social Media and Content Creation, and one Special Assistant and Master of Ceremonies for Government Events. This appointment sparked controversy, with critics calling it wasteful and extravagant, especially considering Adamawa’s poverty rate of 19th in the Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI). The governor’s spokesperson defended the appointments, explaining they aimed to promote government policies and alleviate poverty. Additional 103 appointments were made (37 principal, 45 senior, and 21 special assistants), totaling around 150 aides, costing approximately 28 million naira monthly.

Fintiri is married to Lami Ahmadu Fintiri and they have three children. In 2020, he lost his mother, Hajiya Fatima Umar Badami, who died after a long illness at the Federal Medical Centre, Yola. His father, Umaru Badami, died after a long illness at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC) in Yola in 1984 and was buried in the Damare Muslim cemetery, Yola, following Islamic customs.